Clay Starbuck and Chanin Starbuck: A Tragic Love Story

Clay and Chanin Starbuck. Source: Forensic Files II
Clay and Chanin Starbuck

Updates

Corrections

Thank you Kathy Starbuck Nasholm for sending corrections from Clay Starbuck.


Ask Clay Starbuck

Clay Starbuck answered questions from readers.

Clay Duane Starbuck married Chanin Denice Conway in 1990. It was the second marriage for Clay Starbuck.

Clay and Chanin lived in Deer Park, Washington. They divorced in 2000 and remarried in 2006. But Mr. and Mrs. Starbuck divorced again, in July, 2011.

Clay Starbuck earned about $10,000 a month, working on oil pipelines for Alyeska Pipeline Service Company in Alaska. Clay’s Dad worked there as a security officer from 1977 until his retirement in 2000.

Chanin did not work. She was a full-time Mom to five children. Although Chanin held an Associate’s Degree in Art Therapy from Seminole State College, she wanted to work as a dental assistant. Chanin graduated from the Dental Assistant’s School in Spokane, Washington.

Sadly, someone strangled Chanin on December first or second, 2011.

Dr. Sally Aiken, the Spokane County Medical Examiner, performed Chanin’s autopsy.

Dr. Aiken could not set a time of death.

She testified that her estimated time of death was not very accurate but it could have been Thursday, December 1st or early December 2nd.

The murderer(s) might have shot Chanin with a stun gun before breaking 11 ribs.

Chanin was not shot with a stun gun, and wrists were not bound. There is no evidence of this and is not what the autopsy reported, only what Prosecution embellished.

Kathy Starbuck Nasholm

The murderer posed Chanin’s body with a dildo, to make it look like a sex crime.

The dildo did not contain Clay Starbuck’s fingerprints. An unknown male’s semen was in Chanin.
1) The murderer posed Chanin’s body with a dildo and massager.
2) The only fingerprint lifted from any items of evidence, was that of the massager, which did not belong to Clay.
Kathy Starbuck Nasholm

911 Call — The Murder?

On December 1, 2011, someone used Chanin Starbuck’s cell phone to call 911.

The operator said, “a short high pitched guttural sound of a female followed by rustling noise consistent with a struggle, and then the phone was disconnected.”

Listen to 911 Call from Chanin Starbuck’s Cell Phone

911 Call from Chanin Starbuck telephone

How could anyone, especially an emergency dispatcher, ignore this horrifying telephone call?

The operator called back, but the call went to voicemail. Unfortunately, the 911 operator ignored the 911 protocol for Spokane County.

The operator was supposed to call back twice. Additionally, the operator should have entered the call in a computer aided dispatch (CAD) log for police.

Police ignored the 911 call. The killer escaped.

One Suspect

Clay Starbuck did not have a criminal record. Nevertheless, he was the only suspect.

Starbuck Children Criticized Investigators

The evidence points in many directions. But they just look at my dad.

Blake Starbuck
Austin Starbuck
KXLY Interview with Austin Starbuck, son

They are focusing so much on my dad that they are not considering anyone else.

It would be different if they say it was his saliva or semen or sweat.

My dad lived there until months before this happened. He would go over and fix her computer.

Austin Starbuck

The contents of Chanin’s computer were important, because she had multiple dating profiles. Who was she dating?

Attorney Derek Reid and defendant Clay Starbuck
Attorney Derek Reid and defendant Clay Starbuck

Defense attorney Derek Reid reviewed one month of Chanin’s emails.

I can verify that they met with her in person, not only here but in Seattle and Portland.

These men were paying for trips … and police didn’t talk to them.

Additionally, some of Chanin’s boyfriends hired attorneys, and refused to speak to Derek Reid.

Clay’s Alibi

Clay Starbuck had car problems and phone problems. Please read his explanation.

However, police arrested Clay Starbuck on February 6, 2012, after a brief investigation. The police charged Clay Starbuck with first degree murder and first degree burglary.

Unfortunately, police ignored or failed to collect crucial evidence.

Who Killed Chanin Starbuck?

Clay and Chanin Starbuck. Source: Facebook
Clay and Chanin Starbuck. (Facebook)

I feel terrible that he is going through this because the people in charge of the investigation got lazy and stopped short.

I loved my mother. What happened to her was terrible.

But I’m in fear that the real killer is still free.

Blake Starbuck

The haphazard investigation focused on Clay Starbuck.

Would you agree with me that the story you provided to detectives put you in close proximity to Ms. Starbuck’s home in case you were spotted.

If you were inside her home killing her, you would have built an alibi.

I did not kill Chanin Starbuck, so I do not agree with you.

Clay Starbuck

D-I-V-O-R-C-E

Chanin Starbuck's Children
Chanin Starbuck’s Children

Clay Starbuck fell behind on his child support payments after a back injury and surgery in 2010. Despite his injury, Chanin inexplicably asked a judge to send Clay to jail, because he owed her child support.

Her request was denied.

He paid Chanin about $4,700 a month for child support.

Clay owed Chanin $9,166 in back child support at the time of her murder.

1) Chanin was receiving child support through garnished wages. At the Oct 28, 2011 divorce hearing the Commissioner told Clay to stop paying Chanin’s bills outside of DSHS as the Commissioner could not give him credit for much of it. The financials were not right so the Commissioner said she wanted a Cr60 (would be a Cr60 (b)) to come across her desk, which gave them a period of time to work it out.
2) What Clay learned well after trial, is that Chanin and her attorney used May 2008 pay advices for the July 2011 divorce, which skewed the financials. Once the financials were worked out, Chanin would keep receiving payments through garnished wages as is normal.
3) Any amount causing arrears was due to their calculated screwing with figures. Not because Clay wasn’t paying or wasn’t giving his fair share. Clay doesn’t control the garnishment, the State does. It isn’t rocket science and the attorneys on both sides know that.
4) Prosecution was good at taking one-liners out of context and twisting it. When mail was sent to Chanin’s residence address (as in the case of the Expedition loan), she wasn’t making the car payment, wasn’t giving Clay the notices to pay or repossession was looming, until 3 days before $15k was due.

He said good job giving me 3 days notice on $15k you know it takes more than 3 days to get that kind of money transferred.

5) Prosecution did not portray the truth. How is, “We will need to talk about how to recover”, a bad thing?
Kathy Starbuck Nasholm

Chanin also filed an Order of Protection against Clay, to prevent him from visiting her. This did not make sense either. Because when Clay was in Deer Park, he usually picked up their children at Chanin’s house to drive them to school.

Clay, like many divorced fathers, sent angry texts to his ex-wife about finances and a desire to spend more time with his children.

Prosecution cited general divorce arguments, that every divorced parent experiences, as reasons for Clay to murder Chanin.

Chanin Starbuck’s Boyfriends

Chanin Starbuck (Bonnie’s Blog of Crime) Clay Starbuck claimed Chanin met men online, and slept with them. Police found evidence of Chanin’s relationships on her laptop computer.

Chanin’s sons told a newspaper she started online dating 14 years before her murder.

She would leave early in the morning, two in the morning, come back five, six and my neighbor was worried about the safety of my three younger siblings.

Blake Starbuck
John Kenlein

John Kenlein

One of Chanin’s lovers was John Kenlein (shown testifying), a married high school teacher. Kenlein sent Chanin sexually charged text messages. He testified that he tried to visit Chanin four times, on the day she was probably murdered.

1) The kids claimed that their mother had a habit of seeing other men, and she did. It is easy to portray an ex-husband as a monster. Smack-talk hearsay was enough to set Clay up and not look any further.
2) Detectives told Clay to confess or they would keep his kids from him, which they did.
3) Chanin lied to her family, her church and her friends, saying horrible things about Clay in order to divert attention from her secret lifestyle and put a volatile attention on Clay.
Kathy Starbuck Nasholm
DNA on Chanin’s phone and a vaginal swab matched an unknown male.

Additionally, blood stains from a second bathroom, and a towel that might have been used to strangle Chanin Starbuck were never tested.

It’s not known whether another perpetrator contributed to this crime.

One thing is known: The match does not exclude the defendant.

Despite the lack of definitive evidence, a jury convicted Clay Starbuck of Chanin’s murder.

Spokane County Superior Court Judge Greg Sypolt sentenced Clay Starbuck to life in prison, on July 18, 2013. He is prisoner 366799 at Airway Heights Corrections Center (AHCC), in Airway Heights, Washington.

I didn’t want Clay to be guilty because of those kids.

I went into this trial with an open mind, I tried being objective.

The majority of the jury thought he was guilty from the beginning of deliberations.

Juror #7
1) It was stated that the majority of the jury thought Clay was guilty from the beginning of deliberations.

When you have a Lead Detective a few feet from you saying, “We got our man, it’s a match, it’s a match, it’s a match”, I would expect they would think he was guilty right away.

But it isn’t a match any more than you are.

2) Without a match of at least 16 loci, the forensics supervisor could not say it was a match and did not say it was a match.
Kathy Starbuck Nasholm

Excluded Evidence Could Have Exonerated Clay Starbuck

Clay Starbuck testifying. Source YouTube.
Clay Starbuck testifying. (YouTube)
Incredibly, the judge considered evidence of Chanin’s risky lifestyle prejudicial, and excluded it from the trial.

We want the truth out. We want them to prove it on facts and evidence.

If the jury hears what they are not allowing them to hear … there is no question he would be found innocent.

Blake Starbuck

Mr. Starbuck’s attorneys complained about the excluded evidence during Clay’s appeal.

If that evidence was presented, I’d suspect there would have been a different result.

But the State of Washington ultimately ruled:

Whether or not the victim was dating multiple other men simply did not inform the jury about the identity of her killer.

State v. Starbuck
1) It shouldn’t be Clay’s job to identify the killer. He would have no way of knowing that. It is the job of Major Crimes Detectives to investigate.
2) Chanin dating multiple men, and the sheer numbers of men she was communicating with in the month of November alone, should simply inform the jury that the idea that Clay was the one and only suspect is preposterous. But the jury was lied to even to the communication of December 1st, as Prosecution only told the jurors what they wanted them to know.
3) They were not told of the text message Walker sent to Chanin on December 1st, because Prosecution kept it off the list of communications they selectively shared with the jurors. Nor did they tell the jurors how many men Chanin had been in communication with even the week prior, as that would have destroyed the goods they sold to the jurors.
4) Prosecution stated that police only identified at least 3 potential friends or boyfriends (really?!) of Chanin. Then defense determined contact with several other men across the country.
5) So Prosecution suppressed other suspect evidence with pre-trial motions. There were closer to 2 dozen in the month of November alone that Chanin communicated with or met in person.

Reminder…there were 3 unidentified male DNA of the very few items tested.

Kathy Starbuck Nasholm

There is No Physical Evidence Against Clay Starbuck

Clay and Chanin Starbuck
Clay and Chanin Starbuck

This is similar to the cases of Drew Peterson and Scott Peterson, because there is no tangible evidence that Clay murdered Chanin.

There were no fingerprints from Clay Starbuck at the murder scene.

The 12 fingerprints taken from the scene, did they match Mr. Starbuck?

No, they did not.

Chanin’s Cell Phone

Who grabbed Chanin’s cell phone, while she was connected to 911?

It was not Clay Starbuck.

Interesting about Ms. Starbuck’s cell phone is what I guess I’ll call the gloves-on versus gloves-off theory.

If we’re talking about Ms. Starbuck’s phone, which to a hundred percent certainty does not contain Mr. Starbuck’s DNA, but does have the DNA of another man, an unidentified man. Now, the state will say, well, obviously his [Mr. Starbuck’s] DNA isn’t on the phone; he’s wearing gloves.

They don’t explain why the other male DNA is there.

Suzanne Lee Elliott, Attorney for Clay Starbuck

Sadly, it did not matter, because Clay Starbuck was the only suspect.

Chanin’s Death Certificate

Police discovered Chanin’s death certificate hanging on a wall, during a search of Starbuck’s house. Clay said he put it there, so he would not lose it.

1) Police did not discover Chanin’s death certificate hanging on a wall.

Detective Drapeau knocked it off of a shelf and picked it up and pinned it to the wall to take a picture of it (as he testified to at trial), but SCSO reported to media that Clay had her death certificate as a trophy on the wall.

2) SCSO lied to the media so why would the jury not believe the authorities? The truth was not stated until 18 months later at trial, but most wouldn’t know that.
Kathy Starbuck Nasholm

Clay Starbuck Cooperated with Investigation and Testified

Mr. Starbuck cooperated with the police investigation and testified during his trial.

Whatever they wanted we gave them. I still have nothing to hide.

Clay Starbuck

Divided Families

Chanin’s family believes Clay murdered Chanin. Clay’s children think he is innocent.

Clay and the kids were disgusted with Chanin’s choices and behavior. She was putting the kids in danger, herself in danger, destroyed their marriage again, and lied to everyone who knew her.

Chanin absolutely snowed her own family, church friends and acquaintances.

Kathy Starbuck Nasholm

Clay Starbuck was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

I’ll be thrilled at the day my Dad does get a fair trial and the real killer is found.

Blake Starbuck

Did Clay Starbuck Kill Chanin Starbuck?

Chanin Starbuck (Facebook) Clay Starbuck was barred from having contact with his three minor children.

Nevertheless, Clay Starbuck’s children believe he is innocent. Visit Starbuck Family: Free Clay for additional information about the case and excluded evidence.

Whose DNA was on Chanin’s phone and body?

That right there to me should have been a big enough flag that either multiple people were involved or it was someone other than me.

Clay Starbuck

Former Boyfriends

Suzanne Lee Elliott represented Clay Starbuck for his appeal. Elliott describes herself as “one of the most experienced appellate lawyers in Washington State.”

Ms. Elliott attempted to introduce evidence that police ignored other suspects before arresting Clay Starbuck.

Sadly, Appellate Court decided:

Mr. Starbuck contends that he should have been permitted to put on evidence of Ms. Starbuck’s sexual relationships with other men and the sexually explicit text messages sent by Mr. Walker. The trial court concluded that such evidence did not “provide the clear connection” between the “alternative named suspects and the homicide.”

Why Was Clay Starbuck the Only Suspect?

Chanin had sexual relationships with men she met on Web sites for 14 years.

Who were her lovers? Did any of Chanin’s former lovers want to murder her?

Ultimately, the Court of Appeals of Washington decided:

Clay Starbuck was the one person who had repeatedly expressed his anger about her lifestyle. That anger was not shared by the men who currently were dating her.

Court of Appeals of Washington, Division 3
1) The two men Prosecution used as witnesses for the State were Walker and Kenlein, who both said they were not dating Chanin, that their relationship was sexual in nature.
2) You state that anger was not shared by the men who currently were dating her.

Even though they stated they were not dating Chanin and that it was a sexual relationship, Prosecution kept using the word dating. Chanin didn’t date, says her closest church friends.

3) Deputy Dutton delayed welfare check because he knew Chanin left all hours of the day and night with different guys, which is reported but not testified to from the witness stand. They shut all of that down with pre-trial motions.
4) Maybe if detectives would have correctly spelled and accurately represented vital information requested by subpoena, there would be factual and complete information as to all those Chanin was in contact with days and weeks prior. That would be a valid and appropriate investigation.
Kathy Starbuck Nasholm

Innocence Projects

Clay Starbuck deserves a new trial.

His five children deserve their Dad. I think Clay is innocent. An “innocence project” should help him.

I didn’t do the crime so I would hope that people don’t give up, that they would keep looking.

Clay Starbuck

The Innocence Project

Barry Scheck and Peter Neufield started The Innocence Project in 1992, to exonerate convicts through DNA evidence. This a perfect case for them.

See how to submit a case to The Innocence Project for additional information.

Innocence Project Northwest

The Innocence Project Northwest helps innocent convicts in Washington regain their freedom.

University of Washington Law School students help process cases, and contact lobbyists. Students also lobbied for a law to preserve DNA evidence.

See how to request free legal assistance from IPNW, for additional information.

Television Shows

This section moved to Chanin Starbuck Murder on Television.

Questions and Answers by Clay Starbuck

Kathy Starbuck Nasholm asked her brother to respond to questions from readers.

Answers for Angie

1 Did Clay loan Chanin a hand gun just a few weeks prior to the murder? If yes, why?

Yes. Chanin was not feeling safe due to unusual activities occurring around her home. A wooden stump was positioned outside and under her bedroom window, her BBQ grill was relocated on her back porch/deck. She was also entertaining a vast amount of different men, several that she did not know their true names and backgrounds and she wanted additional safety precautions/options.

She also had an impact flashlight, 3 Kimber 2-shot mace devices and an ASP.

Chanin had been shooting firearms since 1989. Both rifles and pistols. She was given a Sig Sauer P226. Reliable, DA first shot, De-cocking mechanism to make safe.

After her death, our family had to remove hers and our families items to terminate the lease. The pistol was located in the northwest closet in the master bedroom, upright between two stacks of clean bed sheets. This pistol is also a source of male Starbuck partial touch DNA.

2 If Clay was working on his car, it’s impossible that there is not one single witness to account for it on 12/1. So what gives?

To be clear, December 1, 2011 was a cold morning with heavy frost on vehicles parked outside of garages. My Suburban was in the driveway. My son’s car was in the unheated garage. The Suburban was started, we (I) kept a room temperature gallon of water by the front door to assist window clearing before vehicles left to school / work / etc.

The Suburban windows frosted right back over as the water ran off, so I put it in the street electing to take Blake’s car because those windows would be clear of frost.

Car Problems

Enroute to kids house, his car stumbled and stalled a few times. When it finally stopped, I pulled over to the side of the street, sending a text to children and Chanin to ensure she received a message that she would need to take the 3 youngest children to school.

I then raised the hood and there was frost around the carburetor. I closed the hood, locked the car and walked home via the walk path between the Golf Course and houses.

So the hood would have only been open for a minute +/-. Otherwise, pulled over and parked correctly.

Broken down car

It would not have looked like a broken down car. Detectives asked local residents if they saw a broken down car. What is that supposed to look like? Nice question.

There were at least 19 residences that detectives did not document talking to anyone. They reported that as 13 and they never returned to follow-up. One witness said he saw the car. A female jogger said she saw an unusual vehicle, but no further questions were asked because it did not fit their narrative.

Additional Trips

Second trip to the car, hood up maybe 5+ minutes, tried some carburetor adjustments to no avail. Returned home.

Third trip to car, I took two red bottles of HEAT and a few more hand tools. After unlocking the vehicle, I started to put the HEAT contents in the gas tank. When I removed the gas cap, there was a big release of a vacuum.

This told me that that the cap vent was plugged or it was the wrong cap either way, the car fuel system was vapor locked. Unable to get the proper fuel flow and pressure to the carburetor.

I added the HEAT, placed the fuel cap on 1/4 turn, raised hood to return air/fuel mixture screws where they were, started the car, closed the hood, and drove it home.

That evening I explained this issue to Blake and Austin to ensure that whomever refueled this vehicle in the future needs to not tighten the gas cap until we get the correct one or verify the vent is clear.


NOTABLE

The Detectives lied about this conversation.

Their report first stated…they found a camera on a house that would have had to be the way I walked to and from home to the vehicle. They were not aware of the golf course route, so they changed their narrative to match the security camera lie.

3 Why would Clay, a dad with a slew of kids and a broken down car, shut his phone off from 8:30a-4p-ish on the 12/1 in question?

It was not a matter of turning the phone off, it was a function of it turning off due to a low battery. December 1, 2011 was no different than any other day for me except for having to walk back home due to Blake’s vehicle stopping.

Schedule

I did not have a DP physical therapy appointment until Friday morning. Chanin was scheduled to pick the kids up from school that day and I had a free day like many other days of the week.

As it was, I was lucky Blake’s phone and my phone used the same style charger, otherwise I would have had to walk to Chanin’s to tell her in person. The Starbuck kids would then have been late for school.

Charging Phone

When the Car was acting up, I had to plug it in to his car charger in order to send those texts to the kids and Chanin. Once I received confirmation they received the messages, I could remove the phone at which time it simply turned off.

Timeframe

So, your question stated 830a to 4p, but the timeframe was closer to 8:13’ish to 3:35’ish which would have been when I turned the ignition key to the off position and the phone died within a couple of minutes, then at the end of the day while driving his car back to the house I had to plug back into the charger to use the phone.

That is how I ended up in front of our house talking with Austin after retrieving my missed messages for the day.

( so why didn’t I charge it when I returned home? )

Because the charger was not where it normally was and I did not go looking for it. Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011, I had M/L/S at my home until into the evening.

My phone was used by everyone. Sutton mostly. Sutton would go get the charger and where ever she decided to park and play, then that would be the outlet she would leave the charger plugged into. So, behind the couch, t.v., side room, other bedrooms.

The other issue was that my phone was acting up during texting and it would randomly type a string of characters that like a cat was pawing it.

This forced me to get a new phone around Dec. 15th. Its troubles were documented with Verizon and my text messages.

* Blake had late start as a Senior. His start time was approximately 9:25a.

Sometime after I returned home and went back to bed, Blake came in to my room to inquire as to where his car was and pick up some money for lunch.

I told him it broke down and for him to take the Suburban. I had nothing planned for the day and did not need a vehicle.

During Trial

Blake tried to state this at trial but the Starbuck children were talked to in the hall by prosecutor Steinmetz, Defense – Derek Reid and Detective Ricketts that they could not state anything on the stand positive about me, negative about their mother and to only answer the questions yes or no.

Derek Reid never told me that is where he went or that was how they manipulated the children.

Blake still tried to make clarifying statements, and Steinmetz objected on three occasions asking Judge Sypolt to shut him down, no narrative answers or he would be removed.

This was Exculpatory and an Alibi. The state would have nothing to do with it and Reid would not object.

They justify this action by stacking the pre-trial motions in favor of the State so that the truth never comes out. Only an embellished narrative the State lies about.

Trials are not about truth, it is all about spin. As told to me by counsel.

4 Was Chanin’s car in her garage at 10:30a on 12/1 or was her car not at her home during this time? (pervert who knocked on her door for sex said her car wasn’t there)

One could only assume. No way of knowing either way with 100% certainty.

Request for Borescope

No windows permitting a view into the garage. Late evening of December 2, 2011 during a conversation with Deputy Sheriff Dan Dutton, I asked if they could request a borescope from special teams, wedge the garage door, and look for her vehicle.

If it was in the garage then they should enter the home. If it was not, then we should maybe wait or check at the airport parking as she may be returning late from an out-of-state date.

I was told no. No need to go to that extreme knowing her history.

Crime scene investigation

Detectives did not process her car for prints or swab for DNA to investigate whether someone else had driven her car or returned her vehicle to her residence even though the state’s theory was that she was moved. Not knowing if she was killed at that house or not. They did not care.

Furthermore, the CSI tech did not take video of the garage and limited pictures because of an apparent battery life issue. No one thought that this case was important enough to stop what they were doing until proper equipment in good working order was made available.

Good Detective work.

(Concerning pervert Kenlein that said her car was not home)

Kenlein also stated he knew she was home because the heat pump was running on the side of the house.

Well, Heat Pumps heat a home based off of the process variable delta to the setpoint. If your setpoint is 68, process is 67 or falls to 66, then the heat pump starts. It is not based on whether a person is in the home or not.

Kenlein also stated that he only went to the side of the house. Then he stated he looked into the bedroom window. Hmm, the bedroom window is at the back of the house. So which was it.

Why did Kenlein purchase 2 large bottles of Drain Pro Gel right before midnight on December 1st?

Why couldn’t John Wilson, I mean Kenlein’s wife vouch for his whereabouts between 2100 on Dec. 1st to 0700 Dec. 2nd?

Because they slept in separate bedrooms so he could sneak out for trysts.

Let’s not forget Chanin never knew John Kenlein’s real name, but had relations with him at least 6 times. Justwondering006. Wonder no more.

5 Why haven’t the family members of Clay started a Go Fund Me Page and hired a private investigator and/or to have all of the evidence that remains untested, finally tested?

To date, we have commissioned three private investigators. We started out hopeful, quickly became very satisfied with the results. The most difficult part of this entire process, was / is finding Attorneys / Investigators that are truthful and not simply promoting themselves until the check clears.

Investigating Investigators

You cannot simply scrape the surface, one has to dig a little. Unfortunately, we have also used some attorneys that were recommended by people we trusted and that too went south.

People lie. Attorneys lie. Police officers lie. Witnesses lie, Expert witnesses lie, and not all Judges are interested in getting to the truth but rather making the public feel comfortable for that next election.

Hidden Agendas

They all would rather promote, negotiate and permit a corrupt framework to get a trial result that aligns with their view of what society would like to see to feel safe.

Regardless whether the trial was based on facts or fiction.

In my case, it was more fiction than fact and we are looking forward to getting this information out.

Additional Issues

A short list of issues needing resolution remains. These are in the queue for February 2019.

Yes, additional funds are always an issue during these processes and we are evaluating a path forward.

Concerning DNA testing.

Post Conviction DNA testing must follow the requirements of Revised Code of Washington 10.73.170.

The system has the procedures wrapped up so that individuals have an uphill fight the entire process of filing motions and being permitted to do so even when the prongs (requirements) are met.

Let me provide an example:

By December 14, 2011, Detective Ricketts had a sealed search warrant with me as a suspect because of the false statements from Chanin’s family and local Deer Park LDS friends of hers that were told of false wrongdoings.

Detective Ricketts, in his infinite wisdom and mendacious ways, knew he was going to pin this on me, he was just developing the how.

One way was to interfere and manipulate the evidence. A letter to Kristi Barr of the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab was generated by Detective Mike Ricketts on December 14, 2011.

“Kristi Barr, This is a letter of consumption regarding Washington State Patrol Lab case #211-001322. I’ve discussed this case with Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Larry Steinmetz. We give you permission to consume the entire DNA on items 007, 036, 037, 038, 039, 040, 041, 044, 045, 053, 054, and 061 for DNA analysis. I understand there will be no DNA sample left on the above mentioned items once you complete the analysis.
Sincerely, M. Ricketts

Calculated Action

This calculated action by Ricketts, was outside of the WSP crime labs Standard Operating Procedures.

Their procedures state when the sample is going to be fully consumed, their own form number 3000-210-018 (R 7/15) is to be completed and processed.

Furthermore, Deputy Prosecutor Steinmetz and Detective Ricketts do not have unilateral authority to make this decision authorizing the consumption. It needs to go in front of a judge and be argued.

DNA Expert?

Of course, that judge is an academic without any advanced understanding of DNA Testing policies, procedures, different testing methods. By Ricketts doing this, he eliminated any due process by a defendant whom would like to defend himself.

It permitted him to misrepresent the samples to give society a warm fuzzy feeling.

My DNA was NOT under Chanin’s fingernails.

Otherwise there would have been skin cells and it would be tested / compared against the CODIS DATABASE. There were no skin cells.

Additional Testing

Ricketts inflamed Chanin’s mother and family making them think it had to be me because they wanted it to be. It was not.

Ricketts / Steinmetz / Sypolt / Reid then permitted trial to occur while preventing other suspect evidence.

No additional testing of forensics.

I found out at trial that Derek Reid did not file any motions to exclude DNA, to finance / consult a DNA expert or plan to have an expert at trial.

Although, trial was postponed with the reasoning that defense would need to consult / hire a consultant.

No attempts were made to follow through. Y-STR DNA testing needs a suspect to compare against and does not correlate with the CODIS database.

Chanin’s November
  • 11 Singles sites: including sugardaddies, whatsyourprice, wealthymen. And 13 if you count Backpage and Craigslist.
  • 19+ men in the month of November.
  • Maintained 6 separate email addresses.
Exculpatory Evidence

This exculpatory evidence was available to be known by Detectives, State Prosecutors office and the Defense.

Both sides are required to provide opposing party with exculpatory evidence, but they all found it was less work to not investigate, have off the record conversations with the judge and negotiate out of trial Other Suspects when that is the crucial point of the case.

With 19+ guys off of the table, They threw the trial a bone with Kenlein and Walker, but left Walker’s explicit detailed text messaging out of the trial and didn’t care that Kenlein’s alibi coffee receipt was not representative of the drink he ordered. Great police work Ricketts.

Excluded Evidence

Furthermore, with motions keeping Chanin’s personal life out of the trial. Dresback could then call Ms. Starbuck’s ‘sex date’ style, a simple minded normal proclivity about 6 times while lying on the stand. Like it’s some badge of honor. What an idiot and a liar.

6 Did Clay have ANY marks or scratches on him post 12/1 or not? (Conflicting reports on this)

Clay had a small obvious hangnail on one finger, small zit on his forehead and a 1/4″ long scrape/cut on the finger print pad area of his right thumb from pushing on a kitchen knife cutting partially thawed ribs to share with Chanin and the kids.

At trial, Detective Ricketts stated that the zit on my forehead was a defensive wound.

The picture was on a small screen 20 – 30′ from the jury box, so they probably just found it easier to believe the lies Ricketts was saying.

Notable

During 3 hours of interviews on December 5th, I wore a short sleeved shirt and sat < 3′ from Detective Ricketts and 4′ from Tim Hines, they stared at me for 3 hours. They had no concerns.

I offered to remove my shirt and they told me there was no need to do that. They did ask Blake and Austin to remove their shirts for pictures.

Also during the brief meeting with Dresback / Knight on Dec. 3rd neither of those two thought it was necessary to look any further for any type of marks/wounds. I was also wearing a short sleeved shirt for that conversation.

John Kenlein on the other hand, Did not make himself available to sheriff’s until around Dec. 17 and that was with an attorney. That is plenty of time to heal from scratches or other marks / bruises.

7 Where is the security video that Chanin had installed? Never found? No Cloud storage?

Chanin never had a security system or camera installed for security measures.

Chanin’s Camera

What she did do, was buy a single camera from Costco that could stand alone save to SD Card, or USB to PC’s for video conferencing of sorts.

She told Doug Carter she was concerned about me coming over to the house so that he would assist her with its setup. That setup occurred at Carter’s home.

Chanin could not admit to her LDS friends that she was entertaining all hours of the day and night, so she had to use me.

This put the idea into the Carter’s head that I was the problem. Not random, unknown men.

Brief Camera Use

Chanin did put the camera around the house a few days to ruse the children to thinking it was for security.

However, she used it to make personalized adult videos for various instant messaging sites.

Chanin Returned Camera

The last week of July 2011, Chanin purchased a Macbook Pro, various software and support options. It also came with an onboard camera so she returned the purchased Costco camera for a full refund as indicated by the receipt. Marshall told the detectives that Chanin returned it.

It’s in the transcripts. At the time, he thought it was rented. He was also 10, and may not have known you could return items weeks or months later.

Fake News

Five days after Chanin’s death was discovered, there was a News Report to the affect …Chanin had a camera, did it catch the killer?…

My daughter read that, called me into the bedroom and said to look at this, They are so dumb, Mom returned that camera weeks ago.

Cloud Storage

After my arrest, She was talked to and it was twisted around that she told me of the camera 5 days before the death.

The camera had already been returned for many weeks. Carter’s did not know that, but they acted like they did.

Just trying to help or ruin a family’s lives. I say by their dishonesty, the latter.

Doug even drew detectives a picture. Busy people talking out of turn. Never any Cloud storage!

8 Did Clay know Chanin had security video installed? I thought Chanin installed the system to catch him (Clay) in her house? Wasn’t it hidden? Wouldn’t that conclude that whoever ripped it out knew it’s whereabouts/existence?

Great questions/comments. I believe this was answered in the response to 7. However, I will add that we all knew Chanin had access to cameras in her home. Different cameras. Never a system, never a security system.

I had a personal camera that I used on my helmet when flying that she kept. We had digital cameras that could take stills or video and a digital video camera.

These cameras did not operate in the realm Chanin was being requested to provide clips in. She needed a connection to the internet via USB or Bluetooth.

Compromising Videos

In June 2011, I was in Alaska seeing a then girlfriend. My children sent me a text stating they found videos of their mother in compromising positions and that she had sent them to several different men.

So, yes, myself and my children all knew she had that capability. In addition, August of 2011 my son and I were taking a lap, he said he needed his gun scabbard from mom’s house. He texted Marshall and asked him to bring it outside since he didn’t want to go to the door.

Marshall brought out the empty rifle case, smiling he says, I was busted. Mom saw me leaving with the gun case and asked me about it.

She let Marshall bring it to the car, but did not come out to talk with anyone.

Large amount of men

You have no idea. We do. The Detectives during their, no rock left unturned investigation, failed to lift up the mattress and discover the log book.

Refuse a key to Children

Yes, this is true and she told her LDS peeps it was so I couldn’t get the key.

But factually, the issue was when I would bring children home without calling ahead, the children could see which way their mom and a guy came from inside the house.

If they had a key, they would be physically inside the home catching them in the act. After one incident, Chanin put paper up on the front door so which ever child was knocking to get in could not see in at the same time.

This occurred at least 5 times during the day after school.

Mom and Friends

One child used to scatter clothes and items around their room so they could tell when their mom used their room. Another had sent me texts stating they could hear their mom with their boy toy in the next room.

I am thankful I backed up my text messages.

Communications (text, chat, video, email, phone)

So I hope M. Broadhurst, J. Kenlein, T. Conner, T. Walker, P. Wallace, D. Williams, T. Collier, S. Newton, S. Yusko, R. Bolen, B. Marino, H. Brown, Mark in Chicago, G. Lewis, H. Brown, M. Sorrillo, S. Strawn, Slappy Matt, S. Wright and so many others felt special.

One of the aforementioned was trying to ask her to marry him, but never met outside of video I / M. He did not know that PW had her scheduled for a week vacation to Montana over Christmas. Neither knew one of the above served in Clinton’s cabinet. Oh how plans change.

STDs

It must be in Mormon doctrine that if you are a single female, you should be tested every 90 days. Because that is about what her testing schedule was.

I find that unusual for a Mormon attending church every Sunday that is known to her friends as “not doing any dating” “only gone to one singles get together” “Doesn’t have time to date” “she only has time for her children”

Indicators

Okay it may not be in doctrine, but how would she have that conversation with her home teachers, Carter’s, Atridge’s, or Christie Levi. These people claim to be best of friends with Chanin.

Went to high school with her, knew Chanin and I for 24 years, but failed miserably at reading any indicators.

Bishop Wiltse was somewhat aware because he changed her calling from Sunday school teacher to the Nursery. That position is generally for mothers that have nursery aged children, singles or people that need some time to get their act together.

Sacrament

Chanin would purposefully arrive at church late so that she was not put in a position of rejecting or partaking of the sacrament. But she would blame the children for late arrivals taking the pressure off of her.

Clay’s telling everyone… — Great analogy.

So let’s see whom I talked with.

Deputy Sheriff Dan Dutton

Dan lives on Reiper Street. You could take 3 steps out of Chanin’s front door and see Dutton’s front door.

Yes, I talked with Dan 3 or 4 times throughout the previous year.

I told him in September 2010 that Blake and I were going to Alaska for the school year. And when he is working nights if Chanin’s vehicle was not in the driveway, the children are home alone and they are too young and did not know.

He said he would help keep an eye on her and I believed him.

It was common for neighbor kids to tell our children on the bus that their mom was picked up at 11 PM and dropped back off at 4 AM. They had no idea.

The Sheriffs were called 3 times and Chanin lied her way out of it.

Steven Bates, DDS

At trial, prosecution made it sound like I walked into a random dental office and started talking about my ex-wife.

FALSE: Steven Bates was a counselor in the DP Ward Bishopric and I was talking with him about getting Chanin some help.

He lied on the stand stating I talked with him in April of 2011 and told him I tapped Chanin’s phone.

As testified to at trial by Schlosser, Chanin’s phone is not one that would be possible to tap.

Furthermore, it was Chanin that told him about tapping when Bates and his wife became her home teachers visiting once a month to keep an eye on her.

It was part of Chanin’s stories to get sympathy. S. Bates talks about this in his own document provided post trial. I would like to thank you for that, it proves you misrepresented what you knew and the circumstances surrounding the issues.

Optometrist

We were getting our eyes checked. I mentioned going through a divorce. He stated he was too and that his wife was experimenting with online dating.

I said mine too, for many years. Then he feels compelled to call the Sheriff’s office after Chanin’s death telling them nothing of value, but getting his 15 minutes.

Ms. Peterson, School teacher

After participating in a parent teacher conference that Chanin arrived late, with no make-up, you figure it out.

Ms. Peterson asked that our child put forth a little more effort, to push himself. After the conference ended, I stayed back to request that she back off on pushing our child.

He was already at the top of his class. He was going through difficulties at home and he is doing fine.

I then discussed with her, her evaluation as to the quality of counselors at the school.

Concerns About Chanin

We talked a bit about our concerns about Chanin. I did tell her that even her mother was worried about her.

Chanin told me that her mother Melanie, while visiting over 2010 Christmas, told Chanin to meet her dates in a well lit area so we don’t find you in a ditch with your throat slit.

Chanin shared that with me when I told her to be careful and she told me I sound like her mom. So, yes, I repeated that to Ms. Peterson.

I also shared a text from one of my children stating what they found on mom’s computer. Listening to her on the stand at trial showed she did not take notes, and she did not recall the conversation accurately.

Answer for Chris

I saw that case in German TV called TLC Crime. Sometimes I google cases, because I dont believe all and now I come to this site. There was not much evidence about Clay. But what would be interested to me is, did the police checked his car about that issue this morning? Maybe I overread that. Was the car broken or not?

No, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) Sheriff’s / Detectives were not interested in Blake’s car or any issues it may or may not have had.

Car Identification

They wrongfully identified the car as a dark brown 4-door sedan when it is clearly a light brown 2-door. Not once did they ask to see it, search it, start it or discuss its operation.

Even on February 6, 2012 when I was arrested.

They did not conduct a felony arrest procedure and they never searched Blake’s car that I was driving.

They never asked me about my phone battery charging, nor did they inquire or understand that a 1988 Toyota Tercel must have its key switch in the ACC position for the cigarette lighter to be functional providing power.

Tires and Shoes

Furthermore, while Detectives were at Chanin’s, they posed for news organizations acting like they were completing an electrostatic tire tread survey and foot print analysis around the driveway and front porch area.

Again, Detectives did not ever ask me what I was wearing for shoes / clothes, other than if I wore a hat, which sometimes I did.

They never looked at or took any pictures or tire impressions from Blake’s car, my Suburban or Austin’s cars.

They referred to my GMC Suburban as a Tahoe. Even when looking directly at the GMC Emblem.

Negligent Detectives

The purpose for this negligent detective work is so they can maliciously fabricate evidence to suit the situation for whom they will frame for crimes.

Interviews by Detective Dresback

It’s the same reason / purpose that Detective Dresback in all his buffoonery, can get away with going to the Deer Park Police Substation for the sole purpose of conducting interviews. But he leaves his recording device in his patrol car 18 feet away and finds it to be an inconvenience to step out and get it.

During trial, Dresback stated that the way the interview was developing, he did not want to leave to get it.

This is a lie to the judge and the court. Dresback is barely smart enough to find his way home after work, yet his years of malfeasance, manipulating reports and evidence is second only to that of Detective Ricketts.

Both detectives know that their success relies on the absence of audio / video recording of crime scenes / interviews and potential evidence. They want no records of possible exculpatory evidence.

They assume they can lie to a jury and they will be believed over any defendant because of a simple badge.

Open Invitation

Most people do not know that I gave the Detectives an open invitation to come over to our house, anytime and as many times as they need, they elected not to. They gathered hairs, fibers, animal hair, fabric, other forensic samples from Chanin, the bed, and items surrounding her.

Forensic Samples

They did not once ask or concern themselves with forensic samples from our home.

Never gathering any hair samples, carpet fibers, clothing, etc.

Detectives entered my home for the first time 2 months after Chanin’s death. Detective Drapeau staged Chanin’s death certificate in my closet (his words).

Jewelry Boxes

Detectives removed firearms from that closet so it would seem that I had no reason to lock the door. Then they took pictures.

Those pictures, and this is important, show Chanin’s jewelry boxes on Sutton and Loghan’s dressers.

Those are the same jewelry boxes in crime scene photos taken at Chanin’s home December 3 / 4 / 5th.

Austin, who lived at the 2nd Street house was the next of kin and responsible for clearing Chanin’s Reiper Street house. Of course Chanin’s items would then have to be at our house 2 months after her death.

I was the one that removed Chanin’s school ID from the jewelry box before those were given to Loghan and Sutton for 2011 Christmas. Items in crime scene photos from December 3 / 4 / 5, 2011 at Chanin’s are also seen in photos of our home on February 6, 2012.

YES…TWO (2) MONTHS LATER.

The jury was never told this. Derek Reid, Public Defender is equally at fault for not making this clear at trial during rebuttals I was promised. Just never followed through with.

Other Items

Items include: beds, multiple dressers, jewelry boxes, clothes, t.v., washing machine, items in the master bath for Loghan and Sutton to use was also from Chanin’s.

Austin had Chanin’s car. The three younger Starbuck’s wanted to keep it because it was their mothers. It was registered in Austin’s name.

Why didn’t detectives log those items?

Because it made sense and they would not have been able to fabricate the evidence.

During execution of the February 6, 2012 search warrant of our home, they did not open or look in a shed in the back yard.

No one went into the garage to search or take photos. No one went into the laundry room to photo log the search. They did not search any of the vehicles. My 40 foot enclosed / locked trailer or our storage unit.

Again, Ricketts wanted no chance of any exculpatory evidence being stumbled across and by God he was going to ensure they screwed up the entire investigation.

This is also what Spokane County Sheriff’s Detective’s affectionately refer to as “No Stone Left Unturned.”

Living Room

In the living room of our home there was a dresser off to the side being moved in from Chanin’s. On that dresser was my keychain.

Not one Detective asked to whom did those belong to. They did not care to see if any of the keys fit Chanin’s locks or vehicle’s.

Heck, they threw their evidence gloves on the floor in the corner of whichever room they were in.

This is the same carelessness as the CSI Tech or Detective that placed her / his phone next to Chanin as they took pictures of her. How much DNA was contaminated in this process?

Clay Starbuck
Answer for Bebop

I knew Chanin briefly before she was murdered. I was among the men she dated the month before she died. We shared lunch once, and went to an art museum on another occasion. And we never had sex. Just a couple of nice times talking and eating and looking at paintings.

Mostly we talked about our respective children, and our failed marriages. I never met Clay, but Chanin certainly feared him. She explicitly said she thought he would harm her, and she related numerous stories about the ways he controlled her and manipulated the children. I believe everything she told me, as she struck me as a lady of the finest caliber. Smart, artistic, articulate, a devoted mother, and so very much wanting to establish her own independent life.

She had absolutely beautiful eyes like I’ve never before seen, and never will forget as long as I live. Some people paint her as a harlot. But I was one of her allegedly numerous online acquaintances, and never in my experience did she behave as anything other than a beautiful, classy lady. And I treated her respectfully, as a grown gentleman should.

Granted, I only know what Chanin revealed of herself to me over a very short time. I am extremely sad that she was murdered, and suffered as she did when she was attacked. I also feel very sad for her five children, whom I know she loved more than anything in this world. Chanin was a beautiful person inside and out. Anyone who says otherwise couldn’t have personally known her. Rest in peace, Chanin.

Bebop: Hmm…Replying to your well thought out comments concerning Chanin, myself and our children you posted on January 29, 2019 @ 1:35pm. I was surprised that after reading the posts, you were still compelled to make an attempt at relevancy.

Your statements concerning Chanin’s appearance, natural beauty, eyes, love of art and yes she loved her children proves you have a keen sense for the obvious. Lucky you were a grown man and could recognize those desired qualities.

Chanin’s dichotomy is what has torn her down over the years and we all witnessed it. We tried getting her help, she pushed us away, then would draw us in, then push away again. A horrible cycle for her to have gone through chasing demons like she did.

Loving your children, but pushing them away are two distinct issues and you would be grossly mistaken thinking Chanin would confide in you the absolute truth of the situation. If this was true, she would have told you…

  • That she was going to Montana for 1.5 weeks over Christmas with Mr. Phil Wallace. Yes I would have had the 3 youngest children.
  • Mr. Scott Newton was trying to come to Washington to ask her to marry him after sharing adult themed pictures and videos although he never met her in person. Does that sound logical?
  • She would have shared that she knew John Kenlein as John Wilson and he was scheduled for a sex date on 12.01.2011.
  • She would have shared Tom Walker was scheduled for a sex date and dinner the following Monday. Yes, I would gladly have the children then too.

These arrangements are not even the four (4) men she was communicating with on November 30, 2011 when she took time out of her busy schedule to send some nude photos to them @ ~9:43 a.m.

So do not act like you knew her well enough to pass along any valuable judgment. Her toughest decision concerning you, was when to pencil you in. You did not make the cut. You state some people paint her as a harlot.

Actually, being flown to Seattle, limo to Olympia, back to Spokane for a fee by a married Washington D.C. Attorney Mr. Tom Collier. Then two days later, I had the children as she flew to Riverside, California for a fee makes it practicing harlotry, not referring to her only as a harlot. (your words)

Chanin may have indicated she was afraid, but not of me or her children.

Chanin did have safety concerns, she had numerous callers that would come by to pick her up at all hours of the night, commonly between 11pm and 4 am, for over 8 months prior to her passing. She freely provided her name, phone number and address which was extreme at-risk behavior for her and especially for our children. This was not new to her life style. Off and on since 1998.

So, reviewing the logbook Chanin kept and Detectives did not take as they were manipulating evidence Bebop is actually Bebop Mike, aka Michael Broadhurst. Lisa Broadhurst requested Public Records in attempt to find out your potential involvement in Chanin’s death.

You have various communications with Chanin on November 28, 2011. Lunch at Octavio’s on November 29, 2011. More communication on November 30, 2011. Need I say more? Chanin had more positive traits than she had negative, but the few negative traits proved to be much more dangerous to her and detrimental to fostering a loving household for our children.

You, Michael Broadhurst, should get with your other close friends: Shawn Yusko, Scott Newton and Tom Conner and voluntarily remove yourselves from Tribute Chanin Conway Starbuck’s page. It is actually disrespectful to her family in Florida and her children that you four are members under the circumstances you know her.

Tom Conner is one of the reasons L/S/M did not have a key to their home. On at least 3 occasions I dropped kids off early from school and they had to kick / knock hard to get their mom to come to the door only to see her and Tom come from the bedroom through the glass on the front door. Before Chanin opened the door, Tom would slip into the kids restroom.

A day later, Chanin put the white paper up over the front door glass. She told the kids it was to cut down on the glare the daylight cast on the t.v. and she told church members it was so I would not look in. But reality was so her children would not catch her in compromising positions. Literally.

Shawn’s handy work was submitted at trial as State’s evidence. The jury assumed it was damaging to me, but what it should have done was “open the door” to other suspects.

Chanin’s key logger captured adult conversations with Shawn that are documented in a court file.

She introduced Richard Edward, taught Shawn how to pronounce her name and provided her phone number, told him he drove her crazy and offered to fly out anytime on Alaska Airline Miles. Angie Conway has the rest of the non-censored communication.

Scott Newton, for an ex cop you sure were gullible. Melanie B. complemented you on being handsome and no wonder Chanin liked you. But you were not even on the top ten list. Don’t continue to act like you had something special. Marriage? Really Scott.

What an era we live in, you trolls sitting around at your computers in your underwear taking advantage of vulnerable women. Well, not all had underwear, right Yusko?

Have a great day!

Clay
Answer for Jeff

No one else wanted this woman dead..jurors have common sense. No such thing as guilty with a reasonable doubt.

Thank you for providing your well thought out comment. Stating the jurors would have common sense is as silly as one assuming you have common sense.

When the jurors were given inaccurate information and straight up false statements from Det. Ricketts and the State DA, of course the jury will get it wrong. Defense Attorney Derek Reid owns a fair amount of blame for refusing to effectively investigate and to obtain the Case in Chief and rebuttal information to be properly prepared.

I worked on a rock north of Atigun Pass in Alaska for 2 weeks straight, then I would have two weeks off. Families were not permitted at the facility, therefore I needed the children to be with their mom for that timeframe, and then I had the freedom to travel to which ever state she chose to live in.

I have commuted from Florida to Alaska 2 on / 2 off. Nevada, Washington, it just was not an issue. One of the benefits of having nomads for ex-wives, is you get to do a lot of traveling and sightseeing. Keeps it interesting to say the least.

How can you ascertain ‘no one else wanted her dead’ from what little you know. Did you have the insight that Chanin was talking about being pregnant and carrying Daryl Williams’ first child.

Daryl is an African American gentlemen from Spokane area that was communicating with Chanin about advertising on Craigslist, making movies, “you could be rich” and getting together with multiple men at the same time for a fee and even involving choking.

When Chanin mentioned carrying his child, Daryl asked, “Why would you say that?” In this communication, Daryl may have been the adult.

Chanin asked me to take the three younger Starbucks for Mother’s Day weekend, May 2011. No one has to brainwash their children when they lived it. They know without me ever saying a word. Chanin’s mother and family will say this is a lie and she would never leave her kids for that reason or participate in those activities.

Before they again publicly say something really stupid, they should consider an agreement note between Chanin and I that I will gladly have the children for her holiday weekend and I am not giving up my Father’s Day weekend in exchange.

Chanin’s Alaska Airline Mileage receipts and of course her Airport parking garage receipt and bank records all align with this activity. People who claimed to know Chanin, but did not, really screwed up this investigation. Ricketts and his team only had to produce enough paperwork to look like they investigated this crime.

They knew 3 hours after locating Chanin that they would hang it on me. Otherwise Dresback would have used a recording device at the very first interview. Instead, by not, it allowed him to do what he does best. Hide behind the Blue Veil and lie.

Thanks, Clay
Answer for Susan M. Anderson

M. Bourcier: I am so sorry your daughter had to go through what she did. I read Clay’s “answers” to people’s questions. What I see is that he obviously was spying on Chanin, as indicated by the spyware he put on her computer, he seems to know way too much about things that wouldn’t concern him, since they were divorced.

He has specifics about emails and texts, times, dates, as though he might have been writing a journal, to place where he hoped authorities would find it, to try to substantiate the lies he was telling.

What I see in his answers is a very angry, resentful, liar, abuser, he is upset he got caught, further upset that he can’t convince the powers that be to believe his lies, a liar who can’t convince others he is telling the truth, gets desperate. He sounds very desperate in his responses.

Clay is angry she had the gall to leave him, this time for good. He takes partial truths and ridiculously embellishes them in an effort to make himself sound like the “good, concerned” party, but ends up making them sound unbelievable, and with Chanin gone, she can’t dispute his so called “facts”.

Children will eventually answer repeated questions about the other parent, it sounds like he kept trying to get information from them until they said something, whether true or not, so he would stop asking, probably very leading questions.

It’s common for divorced spouses to use the children to spy on each other. His statements are so full of hatred for Chanin, reading them makes the case for upholding the conviction even stronger.

Thank you for the comments. At first read I did not view them worthy of a response. Then I thought hmm, if this person will share her reticence so openly then maybe I should suggest she ask more questions, or at the very least, assist her in finding the truth.

It was very appropriate to offer condolences to Melanie for the loss of her daughter, but why not the same concern for the well being of her 5 children?

The children all love / loved their mother unconditionally and were devastated, to say the least, upon her passing. Our children knew their mother far better than Melanie knew her daughter and most of the issues are covered in the interview transcripts of the Starbuck children.

In order for incompetent and corrupt Detectives to build a fake case against me, they had to ignore the facts, ignore the interviews, and wordsmith their Investigative Reports around what they failed to record, video, ask, look into, turn on.

If people did not read your original post, you called me a resentful liar, abuser, very angry, upset, desperate in responses, hatred for Chanin, spyware loading – perusing private emails that should not concern me, journal staging, torturous story teller providing unbelievable partial truths while ridiculously embellishing them.

You failed to mention I was ruggedly handsome, older but doing a fine job rocking a dad body, great sense of humor, likes to keep situations jovial with equally self deprecating humor. A family guy that is always helping his children grow into the loving, caring people they are. I remain very proud of our children.

You continued on, thanking Bebop Mike Broadhurst for sharing his knowledge of Chanin. Where is this elusive knowledge you speak of? You making these absurd comments would be same as if I stated you lived with a bunch of cats and you only went on first dates, never second dates. I may still be correct, but merely speculation at this point.

Please allow me to clarify your misconceptions and I will not make light of your struggles with abusive relationship(s). Domestic violence is not ever okay under any circumstance or level of sobriety. No valid excuse. Period. I hope you have received the help you have needed and obviously deserve.

  • Please specifically challenge me on any detail of anything I have spoken or written. I am not a liar and I am not resentful. I am very understanding, helpful, supportive, loving to a fault. Do not make blind defamatory statements about me or my children.
  • Abuser: Never! Never even put my foot in the door to keep Chanin from slamming it. I have never restricted or limited her movements, I have never grabbed or restrained her. I have helped her pack and move more times than I care to count.

Conversely, I am an author on one TRO in Alaska when after Chanin and I divorced in 2000, she asked to return and an ex-girlfriend would not stop calling and harassing Chanin, making threats to ruin our lives, so I requested a TRO on Chanin’s behalf.

Chanin was the author of a DV No-Contact Order in Sparks, Nevada, concerning Mark Sorrillo. He beat a couple of our children and Chanin needed Sheriff’s support to gather belongings and leave. Yes, she called me and returned to Alaska with me for her safety and the well-being of our children.

  • Angry, upset, desperate responses: Be specific. No one is angry / upset or desperate.
  • There is no hatred towards Chanin. Our family spent a lot of time and money trying to understand and help her as she moved around trying to find herself. We were always there for her. To a fault, I was receptive to her returning with whichever children she happened to have with her.

I owe a huge apology to Kelly and Sandra. I was not very good at communicating what was going on or the decisions I was faced with and subsequent choices I was going to make. I am sorry!

  • Spyware:
    Spyware was loaded on two computers, one being my laptop that the entire family used and the second was loaded onto our home computer. The home computer that we used until April of 2010. The last time that PC was turned on was May of 2010. I moved out June of 2010, our divorce was July 2011.
    So you now see where you are wrong yet again. Chanin had two (2) IBM clone laptops and one (1) MacBook Pro laptop, none of which had any spyware installed. Sorry, you are incorrect again.
  • Email perusing:
    Negative, I did not have access to her emails. Information we have obtained has been through our own investigation into this case. Some Chanin had at her home, others the detectives had but failed to act on and others we have dug up, legally acquired.
    Play the Dateline program very slow when they show the laptop prop. That is actually Chanin’s hard drive in the public defender’s MacBook Pro and you can read user and file names which at that time could be investigated.
    Journal Staging:
    Do you hear yourself? Chanin had a log in a folder between the mattresses of her bed. Is that what you are insinuating? The bed had to be moved. If not, we would not have found it either.
    Torturous:
    Not ever in Chanin’s adult life with me, and being in our family, was she tortured. Not verbally or physically. I do not have the same belief concerning her younger years growing up with her step father Charlie.
    If you are implying what the state claimed that Chanin was beaten and tortured. I was not there, but according to the Autopsy report, this simply is not true.
    It was an unsubstantiated claim by the state getting Dr. Aiken’s head to bob up and down which went unchallenged by Derek Reid because he was unprepared and handing me to the state.
    Embellishing partial truths: Give me a specific example(s). No embellishments on my part. Just the facts ma’am. Sometimes I do hold back specific events because of our children. Not because something would be said that was not true. Some statements need to be dumbed down to at least PG-ratings. But embellished they are not.
Clay Starbuck
Response for Robert McMurray

Interesting read. (Document: PRE-SENTENCE INVESTIGATION)

This PreSentence Investigation report is another example of inaccurate information the State provides in attempt to validate their mishandling of their criminal investigations, false charging documents, Public Defender’s Office handing a case to the State Prosecutor with assistance from the Judge’s rulings on false pretrial motions.

I never lived in Myrtle Point, Oregon, I graduated high school in 1982, not 1978 and what is the Alaska Police Force. Doesn’t exist nor did my father work for it.

In our legal system, you are not guaranteed a truthful, honest trial. You are provided what they refer as a fair trial of spin and inferences. The truth has nothing to do with how trials proceed.

More on this soon.

Clay Starbuck
Response for Robert McMurray

More court information. (Document: ANSWER TO PETITION FOR REVIEW)

Suzanne Elliott’s appellate brief was right on target and truthful. Her topics were limited due to Derek Reid failing to, or improperly preserving trial issues for appeal. There were so many, one can ascertain this conduct was intentional.

I have written earlier posts with a few examples, and there are additional posts forthcoming. Judge Korsmo of the Appellate Court Div III, overseeing my case and offering his false dissenting opines worked within the Spokane County Prosecutors Office alongside Prosecutor Steinmetz. Of course he is not going be impartial.

Before appellate arguments, Korsmo and Steinmetz had their inappropriate flirting moments that had not been experienced in 25 years by seasoned attorneys.

Judge Korsmo’s opine contained information that was outside of evidence, no matter how incorrect it was, and could only have been known by talking with Steinmetz off the record and ex-parte communication. Which again is supposed to be illegal.

Attorney’s are supposed to have an ethical obligation to solve issues at the lowest level by working with each other as to not burden the courts schedule. Steinmetz would not respond to Ms. Elliott’s requests for conversation knowing he had Judge Korsmo’s ear and he would get what he wanted.

This happens all of the time. It is illegal and hard to fight, but needs to be brought up.

Clay Starbuck
Response for Robert McMurray

Another question I have is this, the DNA expert says that Starbuck male DNA was found in three locations on her body. Fingernails, neck and mouth. There was other male DNA that was untested on her as well.

Knowing that the two other males, Kenlein and Walker had recent interactions with Chanin, why was their DNA NOT found on her, when you assume it should be, based upon their current relationships?

Clay states he wasn’t in that bed for over two years but yet Starbuck DNA ends up on Chanin.

Kenlein and Walker were on the same bed (assumption) within a matter of days of the murder, yet none of their DNA was found. That seems odd and goes against logic.

The interesting thing is that the unknown male DNA still did not take the Starbuck DNA off of her body. Unless Clay committed the crime with another male person (unknown DNA). If so, what is his name? He needs to be brought to trial as well.

Thank you for your comments / questions, however, they seem to follow the false narratives that detective’s tainted the public with. That was much easier for them than to actually investigate suspects.

Timeline

Chanin passed December 1st or 2nd, 2011. I moved out June 2010. This alone is 1.5 years, so your statement is incorrect.

Chanin and I, with the children, commonly spent birthdays, some holidays, dinner and shopping together throughout 2010 and 2011 up to the second or third week of June 2011, which would be the last I was in that bed.

This is substantiated by texts between Chanin and myself. A sitter met me at Chanin’s so that Chanin and I could go out to dinner.

When I started seeing a person in Alaska on June 25, 2011, I told Chanin I would not be participating in any more date nights. This is also when Chanin dialed up her smear campaign.

DNA

You say face, fingernails and the neck. Bear in mind, of these locations the state claimed, one was as common as 1 / 46 (one in forty-six) males. The others were 1 / 276 (one in two hundred seventy-six) males.

Generally DNA to convict would be around a certainty of 1 / 290 million or 1 / 4 quadrillion, which indicates it could not possibly be anyone else. One sample they used the same swab in two locations contaminating the results. Making it virtually impossible to know what came from where. Didn’t matter, as they were going to lie about it anyway.

Derek Reid, although he argued and delayed the trial to locate, interview, hire, and consult a DNA forensic expert, failed to follow through with any of those tasks. He also failed to include the exclusion of this multi-contributor, low grade, incomplete DNA profile in the Pre-Trial Motion in limine.

Multi-contributor DNA samples

The multi-contributor DNA samples in this case did not meet the 2012 criteria by the NIJ: DNA for the Defense Bar.

Most recently, when multi-contributor DNA samples are discovered, it is not to be used to convict.

Combining Alleles from a couple of different LOCI from a neck sample with other Alleles from LOCI of the right hand to build a profile, should be criminal in and of itself. They knew what they were doing when they did it.

Standard Operating Procedures

This is why Ms. Lorraine Heath stated her SOP’s (Standard Operating Procedures), would not permit her to state it was a match.

Derek did stay on Ms. Heath for 40 minutes until she admitted the non-match, but the jury was long since very confused as to what they were hearing. I am no more of a match than you are. I would bet that you have a few Alleles that would match a couple LOCI addresses too.

But it does not mean you committed this crime. Several Alleles from Kenlein and several detectives and CSI tech’s DNA also matched Alleles at various LOCI. This would not and should not be qualifying or supportive of a guilty verdict.

Coment / Assumption

Your Tom Walker, John ‘Wilson’ Kenlein comment / assumption is incorrect.

Walker

I do not know of Tom being at her Reiper house within a couple days of her death. Although, he has a few Alleles that align.

John Wilson Kenlein

He also has Alleles that align with known crime scene samples, but conveniently, the state left that out of the trial and Derek Reid was complicit, displayed by his failure to pursue and secure a forensic DNA expert.

Instead, he chose to bluff his way through the situation with a thick biology book on a podium. Similar to Ricketts displaying a 3″ binder with blank pages in it while he was on the stand to make it look like he had “done some work.”

Kenlein admitted to several trips to Chanin’s home on December 1, 2011. In the police report, he stated he went to the bedroom window, but did not go to the back of the house. Both statements cannot be true. One is a lie. The bedroom window IS at the back of the house.

He doesn’t possess a fundamental understanding how a house heater works, where the back of a house is, and stated Chanin had a round vibrator that used a 9-volt battery. Which was not logged on the inventory list Doug Carter and Christy Levy took from the residence.

Who were they protecting? Doug? This knucklehead teaches your children. For a science project, they drive square pegs in round holes.

Why did Kenlein procure 2 bottles of drain-pro gel just before midnight on December 1, 2011?

To clean Chanin’s bathroom? Detective Ricketts said he thought Chanin died in the bathroom and was moved, then he instructed the ~13 scene processors not to use Luminol, not to swab the floor or shower drain, and not to lift latent finger prints from the bathroom window, which was unsecured. Nice work Castle!

Kenlein Alibi

Why wasn’t Jessica Kenlein asked about John’s whereabouts and Alibi from 2300 hrs 12/01/2011 to 0700 hrs 12/02/2011. They did not sleep in the same bedroom. This is on Derek. John’s coffee receipt did not…

Oh, right. Kenlein told Detectives which coffee he had, but that did not match the receipt Ricketts obtained and provided for him. Ricketts also knows most security footage is on a 30-day or less loop, so they wait to subpoena needed information. The more audio and video they have, the less they can lie.

Other Suspects

Walker and Kenlein were not the ‘other suspects’ that pre-trial motions in limine kept from being admitted at trial.

To reduce costs, detectives and the prosecutor’s office failed to peruse Chanin’s laptop for other suspects or investigate any leads it may have generated. Not just the ones she said yes to, more importantly, the ones she told no.

These would not have been cumulative because several trysts were so different providing a broad spectrum of at-risk and dangerous activities, which is probative.

Detectives purposefully misspelled Chanin’s email user names and email addresses on subpoenaes so to return a “No Data Available’ response.

Justifying a shoddy, half-hearted, half-witted, and half-assed investigation. There are at least twenty other suspects that should have been admitted at trial as probative.

The Bed

Considering your statement, Walker and Kenlein would have had sheets on the bed. Chanin was discovered without sheets on the bed.

That was our bed from 1996 to June 6, 2010 with the last I was in it being ~ June 20, 2011. Hardly two years.

Marshall was wearing Blake’s hoodie from Wednesday, November 30, 2011. The drill was by Chanin’s purse, two Kimber mace dispensers were within reach, an ASP, an impact flashlight and a pistol to name a few items with male Starbuck DNA on them that were located in Chanin’s bedroom.

Gloved CSI and Detectives rolled Chanin around on the bed staging her for pictures. They touched aforementioned items, the mattress, then touched Chanin.

They left their cell phone on the mattress next to Chanin.

Then after touching several items and manipulating the scene, they permitted Chanin’s right arm to cross her body with her middle and index fingers of her right hand to directly contact and rest on her left forearm.

This is what Ricketts refers to as ‘preserving’ the crime scene. No bagged hands.

This activity occurred for two days. Again, nice job Ricketts. Your actions are as stupid as Detective Dresback referring to 20 guys a month being a simple proclivity. Dresback, run that by your wife and see what she says.

Earlier Comments

I have already factually commented on this site concerning these issues, so please try to keep up if you are going to poke. Please read the posts to verify your question has not already been responded to, or ask for additional information if needed.

I will respond to your 3 questions from a couple of weeks ago in the next few days. I had a server snag. It was not that I was ignoring them.

Closing Comments

During the trial, State Prosecutor Steinmetz raised his right arm while twisting an imaginary dial back and forth, asking the CSI technician to explain to the jury why she was unable to lift my latent fingerprints from the safe.

She explained to the jury, as she mimicked the same rotating motion, that because of the lands and grooves on the dial, prints could not be lifted.

Except that safe was a flat button electronic lock. They also pulled print from the door. Cut and dried, she lied.

I asked to impeach the witness, Derek told me NO, that we don’t have to swing at every pitch.

High Powered Rifle or Shotgun

Detective Johnston stated under oath, on his badge, blah blah blah, to the jury that there was a ‘high powered rifle or shotgun’ in the safe when clearly it was Marshall’s BB / pellet rifle. His statements sole purpose was to inflame the jury.

I again asked to impeach the witness that is so willing to lie and I was told no, it does not matter, she was not shot.

But it does matter. It permits these small lies to build a completely false story line for the jury. You show me a Law Enforcement Officer that can’t tell the difference between a shotgun / high powered rifle and a pellet gun, and I’ll show you a jackass that can work as a Detective for Spokane County. Honesty and Integrity is optional!

Detective Drapeau, I had high hopes for. Seems I recall he was a Marine. Apparently a Marine with a horrible memory, or Detective Ricketts told him to say whatever he wants, they would promote him from Sgt. to Lt. either way.

Again, under oath and elusive integrity, he called Blake’s two-door car a 4-door, our GMC Suburban a Chevrolet Tahoe, a dresser a desk, and a golf course a field. Congrats on the promotion. I’m sure you look good compared to the shenanigans Ricketts and Dresback pull.

Steinmetz answered questions for a detective, absent of objection, that someone could have hidden on the other side of the fence North of the house. That is an open sewage treatment settling pond, Steinmetz. Do you have no shame?

Tammy Turner

Tammy Turner on the witness stand talking about watching her son Luke play basketball on December 1, 2011. Except that he graduated a year earlier and was at his college in Montana on that date. I asked for impeachment and was told, “f**k Tammy Turner, nothing she says means anything”. I still concur, the record should reflect the truth. Just saying.

Summer Starks

Summer Starks on the Dateline program A Cold December Morning. Congratulations on your 15 minutes. The Police report says you didn’t know Chanin well, just at church and she didn’t date but just once. he he he.

On Dateline you portray yourself as Chanin’s bestie. You sorry fake people. Ask Kenlein about your truck window, he was there that night. Did his wife know that? Holler if you need the date and I bet his ex-wife Jessica cannot alibi him for that night either. He left around 1:30 a.m.

How many times have you reached out to your best friends children to see how you could have helped? An entire building of you dropped the ball on that, didn’t ya?

Before anymore of you people attempt to criticize the Starbuck children as being brainwashed, they lived it! They know I was there on Chanin’s April 19, 2011 birthday, all the times when a sitter came over after we separated so we could go out to dinner in May 2011.

When Chanin called me from the airport after returning from a fly out date, needing assistance. To borrow a ladder, a drill, to split a rack of ribs for dinner that I had thawed out, or to move her basketball hoop. The list goes on and on. Our children know the truth without a spoken word and that is why they support me. Period!

Motivation

Errant motivations to prosecute. Enjoying the blue veil where society thinks you won’t lie. The freedom of being a lawyer to change narratives and create inferences that are unsupported by facts, manipulating the prosecution of innocent people. Providing a false sense of security to the public for the betterment of yourselves. Qualifying your actions and inaction as serving the greater good. Cherry-picking evidence, influencing witnesses to mislead jury’s, continuing the deceit for pervasive injustice.

How does it feel to be a causal factor in the epidemic of wrongful convictions as you stumble through lazy, sloppy investigations slapping each other on the back as you disrupt, dismantle and destroy families?

The dishonesty offered by these classless detectives is endless. They need to be called out and exposed for what they are. Crooked as hell! Doesn’t have to be the right one, just someone. Major Crimes: To Self Serve and To Protect our Image on tax payers dime. To hell with the general population. Integrity and Bravery. Start by being brave and always tell the truth.

Clay Starbuck
Answer for Nicole

You obviously have never been in an abusive relationship or have never had a dysfunctional child custody situation. To not take into account at all the likelihood that this man could is lying about most of the nice things he did for his ex and pulling the wool over the eyes of his children to win them to his side and blame their mother, the victim of this horrible crime? This happens everyday all over the world. Shame on you and on Clay for not admitting his guilt to his his children and causing them to face the burden of fighting for his appeals.

Well, obviously someone’s safe space and stuffed animal was not prepared to your liking. Either way, our deepest sympathy and condolences concerning your history in abusive relationships and subsequent dysfunctional child custody issues. I hope you are able to find and receive the help you desire and obviously need.

I also realize the outburst comes from your deep seated pain of the past. Before you flare up, know that my / our comments are factual with supporting documents / videos / names / addresses / phone numbers / pictures with associated email addresses and websites. The Starbuck children and myself lived it, no wool required.

If you would like to contact me to learn more on how you can help, then please do via Jpay.com (instructions) or USPS (instructions). I’ll help you understand why your point of view is cloudy.

Why is it…

  • That the State does not consider any of the 5 Starbuck children victims?
  • The State told the Starbuck children they would not be permitted to make any positive statements about their father or negative about their mother.
  • If / when I was in Alaska and neighbor children on the school bus inform you that your mother left you alone the night before, How again am I involved in that?
  • When Chanin went on vacation at the end of July, first couple of weeks of August – 2011, sent me a text asking me to pay her rent at the same time she was telling her family she was not receiving money from me. I paid her rent, I have the receipts but that doesn’t stop her brother and half sister from stating on Dateline that they paid for everything. I paid her rent and I paid for her Dental Assisting State Board Certification as well as numerous other debts as identified in the civil hearing of October 25, 2011. I was told to stop paying her bills outside of the DSHS methods. It’s in the transcripts.
  • Also on that same vacation, Chanin told her Washington LDS peers that she was thinking of moving to Florida. But on vacation, she did not submit any resumes or pursue any employment. She did however stop over in Salt Lake for a sugardaddie.com / tryst, as well as ditching her family for Dave Gordon and Brad Marino. All while keeping Scott Newton interested enough to want to marry her. But she was going to meet Phil Wallace in Montana for Christmas. Help David Calentine pick up his car and divorce his wife in Kansas, entertaining Kenlein / Walker / Ashton / Dash / Williams / Broadhurst / Hawkins / Lewis / Swenson / Strawn… This is not even a complete list, I’m just getting tired. Wealthymen / What’s your Price / Sugardaddie / etc.

So, Nicole, your ‘wool over the eyes’ comment remains baseless useless drivel.

Clay
Answer for Sabra Kelly

Did anyone consider a wife or girlfriend of the married guy?

Maybe they got caught having sex and that’s why Kenlien acted so wish washy about his whereabouts?

When your dealing with sneaking around behind your wives back maybe that’s why the text were answered. Or were they sent out from Chanins phone?

Law enforcement only permitted the WSP Lab to test DNA samples using a Y-STR method, not STR or X-STR looking for females and / or people with prior records in CODIS.

Very good comment / logical and we have talked about that among ourselves, but not legal paths. Kenlein for instance, ran to his dad’s home, which happened to be in Deer Park, a 3-minute drive from Chanin’s, and confessed what he had been doing.

Kenlein’s father then had him lay low until they secured legal counsel. It took 17 days before Kenlein made himself available to be interviewed by law enforcement. Plenty of time for any injuries to heal.

Coincidentally, Kenlein’s counsel also assists LEO’s when they screw up and need defended, which is more often than desired.

Kenlein lied concerning where, when and how he walked around Chanin’s home and checked windows.

He never did produce a specific coffee receipt, that was produced as a similar item via email between the Starbuck’s employee and Ricketts as a “this is similar” statement.

Then Kenlein bought Drain Pro Gel to flush her drains. A text from Kenlein asked Chanin to not shower until he got there.

Chanin also told John Wilson Kenlein she was not liking their relationship and that she wanted to stop. Hmm…

Clay Starbuck

Thanks for the questions and please ask whatever comes to mind.

Write to Clay Starbuck

How to Send Postal Mail

Clay Starbuck #366799
AHCC – N B 29L
P.O. Box 2049
Airway Heights, WA 99001

Your envelope and letter must be addressed to Clay Starbuck.

See Sending Mail to Inmates for additional information.


How to Send Email

Email is not free, because inmates must receive email through JPay.

Start the process by searching for inmate ID 366799 in Washington.

Note: First result shown above is correct.

Open a JPay account and follow instructions for sending email.

Comments by Clay Starbuck

State’s Errant Motivations to Prosecute

Beginning with dishonest unchecked detectives relying on societies belief they’re all honest people and the freedom of being a lawyer, to change narratives and create inferences unsupported by facts to manipulate the prosecution of innocent people.

Cherry pick evidence and provide false statements to news outlets to control public opinion and surreptitiously taint potential jury pools.

Postpone trials while muddling facts and continuity making it easier to control the outcomes by illegal ex parte communications between attorneys and judges. Negotiating peoples lives away.

First Day of Trial

Let’s recall how the first day of trial started. The State Prosecutor Steinmetz, assisted by Detective Ricketts exercising his quality investigative prowess, told the jury that I was seen driving by Chanin’s home at 0745a the morning of December 1st.

As shown by video of a dark brown 4-door sedan from the same house they told people I would have had to walk past.

Wrong Car

However, Blake’s car was a light brown 2-door.

I asked for an objection and was told NO by counsel and to stop talking directly to him. To write it down and he would read it on breaks.

This alone should have warranted an objection followed by a motion to dismiss based on the State’s willingness to mislead and lie to the jury from the very start.

Two weeks later and after a 9 day recess of trial, a subtle comment from Blake was made that his car was a 2-door.

This should have been told to the jury as a direct statement rather than expecting the Jurists that were awake to tell the ones that were asleep.

Thank you for the questions. Please feel free to ask more. Possibly about…

  • Errors in Investigation
  • Defense
  • Prosecution/Detectives
  • Errors in DNA
  • Detectives bloopers and other lies (perjury)
  • CSI Techs Perjured testimony.
  • Autopsy / False coerced testimony of Dr. Aikens.
  • Tammy Turner, Lana McKay Beck, Steven Bates, Carter’s and Christie Levy’s perjured testimonies.
Clay Starbuck

Clay Starbuck 2023

Marshall and Clay Starbuck. Copyright 2019 Kathy Starbuck Nasholm
Marshall and Clay Starbuck

Clay Starbuck left Clallam Bay Correction Center on September 18, 2019. He arrived at Airway Heights Corrections Center on September 25, 2019.

This relocation moved him 400 miles closer to his family.

Clay’s punishment included a “no contact” order with his minor children. His youngest child Marshall is able to visit him now, because he is over 18 years old.

202 thoughts on “Clay Starbuck and Chanin Starbuck: A Tragic Love Story

  1. Obviously I am only giving an opinion but looking at this case as an outsider, it doesn’t look as though Clay is guilty. The ex wife appears to have had a seedy secret life. Of course he would be an obvious suspect, isn’t that usual. I do believe often crime labs and police investigation do not look outside of the box. Hopefully he gets a new trial with a better crime lab and fair trial.

  2. So a woman successfully meets strangers on the internet for hookups for 14 years and it just so happens to go bad when her ex husband is home from work for months… Likely story.

  3. If I were on that jury I would NOT have found him guilty. Too much doubt that he had anything to do with her murder. The DNA on the phone did NOT belong to him, but to some unknown person, which tells me that someone pulled the phone out of her hand when she tried to call 911. I hope the truth finally comes out before too many more years go by and he’s stuck in prison for a crime he did not Commit.

    1. I’m sure he covered his tracks and used gloves. He was the only one she was afraid of. He set her up

  4. It really is sad that Clay continues to deny the truth. Some of his responses are indicative of how unreasonable a person he is. Divorce is usually ugly and both Clay and Chanin behaved badly and maliciously. The true victims are the children who know the truth but won’t be able to admit the facts until they’re allowed to by their Father.

  5. Here is another nugget of information that would prove Clay was innocent. That is, John Walker received a text from Chanin’s phone @ 12:10 pm on 12/1/2011. This was sent in response to them wanting to meet for lunch that day. Chanin’s phone texted to Walker that she apologized that she was not there, but “I had to leave to stop by the bank. Can you meet at The Onion at 1:00pm?” If she truly did stop by the bank, there would have been video and data showing her visit. Clay’s defense never brought that up, because there was no video or any data saying she was somewhere in early afternoon of the day in question. By the time that text was sent, Chanin was deceased, and Clay was trying desperately to show anyone else was there with Chanin. Now, if Clay will bring that video of Chanin at the bank, or a deposit slip or any shred of evidence she was there on the day in question, then he would have an alibi. Go ahead Clay and Clay’s family, produce the information. Did someone go to the bank and see if there was a video of Chanin or a bank statement? We are anxious for your reply. We will wait…..

  6. I found this Spokane County Sheriff Report online sometime ago. I thought it is interesting.
    “8/29/2012 Additional Report:
    On 8/29/2012 at 10:45 hours, I received a phone call from Chauncey Childs, former wife of Clay Starbuck and the mother of Drew Starbuck. Chauncey sated that she married Clay Starbuck in 1982 and finalized the divorce in 1988. She stated they were married five years. She stated that they have two adult children in common, Drew Starbuck and Jesse Starbuck. She stated Clay and her met in High School. She stated Clay was one year younger than her. She stated it was not a good marriage. She stated Clay hod pornography addiction, he was unfaithful and he transmitted a venereal disease to her. She stated when it came to child support issues after the divorce he used it as a power play. She stated he had not been physically violent with her. They never had any big fights, however when she would confront him with having affairs, he would not respond at all, he just became quiet and looked at her. She stated in 1986 she filed for divorce and then after they had reconciled and she had moved back to Alaska with Clay. She stated that Jesse was born shortly after that. She stated she made the decision to try and make the marriage work. She stated at the time she didn’t have any place to go. She stated Clay like to play games throughout the marriage. She stated Clay knew that he had her between and rock and a hard place during then. She stated Clay started sleeping with other women again. She stated when she learned of his arrest for murder, it didn’t surprise her. She stated they divorced in in Alaska in Anchorage and that there would be a divorce file there. She stated she recalls an incident where she was very sick with the two children and he had left her for a significant amount of time to go shooting and she was unable to care of the children at that time.
    She stated that after she had decided to go through with the divorce, she went to Nevada and got a job and an apartment with the kids. She then asked Clay to come down so they could wrap up the divorce and get on with life. She stated she was at work and he came down and abducted the kids while her mother watching the kids. She stated Clay took the kids up to Alaska. She stated he called her after he did this and said I have the kids and can prove you’re an unfit mother, you will never see them again. She stated the judge in Alaska awarded him temporary custody until she was able to get back to court and prove that she was a fit mother and that this was a ploy by Clay.
    She state Jesse, her daughter, has no relationship with clay. She stated when you’re around Clay you’re the center of this world, however when you’re not around him, you don’t exist. I asked her how many affairs Clay had, she stated she doesn’t know for sure, but he had a lot of affairs. She stated she recalls a time when they were separated when he went up to Alaska to work and she tried to call him and could not get a hold of him for two weeks. She stated she finally got a hold him on the phone about 2 am and he was being very quiet and she later found out from him, after he admitted it, that he had an affair with an old girlfriend. and he couldn’t talk loudly at the time because he was with the old girlfriend. She stated that she had been diagnosed with Chlamydia during their marriage and at the time she didn’t know what Chlamydia was, however she recalls a doctor giving them both an antibiotic. She later found out what Chlamydia was from her sister. She stated she caught it from Clay. She stated Clay had all kinds of pornography all over the house. She would find it. She stated she would find him parked at pornography business frequently. She stated that Clay thinks everybody else is stupid. She stated he is demeaning and belittling.
    She stated grandma and grandpa Starbuck are very nice people. She stated that she never did get along with Kathy, Clay’s sister. She stated that Kathy and Clay were the only siblings. She stated the allegations of affairs and the transmission of venereal disease are mentioned in the divorce file. She stated that Clay had admitted during the divorce in seeing other women. She stated there are only two times when she saw Clay become really angry. One of the times was when she had won a judgment against him for thousands of dollars in back child support. She stated that he got so mad he called her and said, “how dare you take my money”. She stated that was in 1996 or 1997. She stated that his dividends had been garnished as a result of that. She stated another time was when she agreed to meet him in Portland so Clay could visit the kids. She stated she met him at a restaurant to drop the kids off. She stated that Clay invited her in to eat. She went in and he made passes at her so she left. She stated that she recalled a time when Chanin called her during the first divorce between Chanin and Clay, just before Chanin left and she had told Chanin about the incident when Clay made passes at her. She stated Clay almost got fired from Alyeska for sending pornography over the internet. She stated that during a Christmas Eve, she and talked to Chanin, she received a call from clay, he was mad and wanted to know why she told Chanin what she did.
    She told me that she didn’t have any grudges against Clay. She stated that she knew Chanin had her own issues from what she had heard from the kids. She stated if she had found out he was a serial killer it wouldn’t have surprised her. She stated Clay does not have a conscience. She stated she is aware that Clay and been texting Kayla (Drew’s wife) almost on a daily basis before he was arrested. She stated that she thought that was odd because he wasn’t communicating with Drew, his son, as much. She stated that Kayla is very pretty. She stated Jesse has been receiving a lot of letters from Clay since he’s been in jail. She stated she recalls Kayla told her that Clay had once told her that he knew a lot of things about Chanin, but wouldn’t say how he knew them.
    She stated that she also heard from Drew and Kayla that Chanin had a camera in her house and that she was attempting to catch Clay entering the residence. She stated she moved in with her parents after the divorce. She stated her parents who were afraid of Clay. She credited living with her parents for remaining safe from Clay. She provided me with her mother’s number. She stated her father has dementia issues. She also gave me Jesse’s number. She stated that Jesse is close with the half siblings and she is very concerned about them. She stated that she thinks that Chanin may have hung in the marriage for too long and played too many games with Clay. She stated the reason she thinks she got out ok was that she didn’t play any games and cut ties with him. She stated Clay liked to see who he could fool and what he could get away with. She then said Clay is the strangest guy she has ever know. She said clay could be very charming when he wanted. She stated she is aware the Betty Starbuck and Kathy Nashold has called Drew and Jesse since his arrest and raked them over the coals for not supporting their father more. She stated while was married she was aware of an incident where Clay went after one of her friends Laura Ray. She stated that she was married to Clay and Laura was married also. She stated Clay tried to get her to Lura to have sex with him and he scared her. She stated she would find her number and provide it to me. Investigation is continuing. -Spokane County Detectives.

    1. It was unnecessary to keep repeating SHE STATED. You could have just said SHE STATED THE FOLLOWING. I couldn’t even finish reading your comment it was so annoying.

  7. I think the lesson from this situation is that when a marriage starts to have problems, it’s a good idea to get couples counseling and a psych evaluation immediately! It sounds like both partners had some dysfunctional coping patterns. Perhaps the wife was bipolar or had a sex addiction. These disorders can be effectively treated. However, often couples either do not seek professional help or wait until the situation has deteriorated.

    1. Who are you, Barbara? Dr Phil? No professional degree or experience in psychology, counseling or psychiatry but have all the answers. You do realize that 99% of divorces do NOT end up with one spouse murdered by the other?

  8. lead prosecutor should be in jail not clay…. she lived by the sword and died by the sword and I think all men know what I’m talking about . it’s funny how I had to finger scroll past all you knuckleheads arguing about the littlest things when it’s obvious to the most casual observer her promiscuity got her killed HELLLOOOOOOO. Those kids will be fine . The judicial system is a joke, Look who’s running the country now seriously come on ! happy holidays !

    1. Nice victim blaming, you and Clay would be best buddies. I don’t get what she ever saw in him in the first place

  9. I just listened to this Dateline episode on Podcast. Am I the only one having trouble with State’s assumed time of death? Here is what I mean; someone correct me if I missed some facts somewhere.

    1. State assumes that she was murdered the morning of Dec. 1st, because of the 9-11 call placed at 9:17 am. Here is what bothers me about that call.

    1(a) If a person is placing a 9-11 call on purpose, we can probably surmise that the said person anticipates danger or harm.

    1(b) In the said situation, the person placing the 9-11 call would immediately speak and/or scream in destress.

    1(c) If you listen to that 9-11 call, and I did several times, the sound she makes sounds a lot like as if she called 9-11 by accident, and realizing, quickly disconnects the call.

    2. If the killer was present when the 9-11 call was placed by the deceased, and having the call back by the dispatcher;

    2(a) Why would the killer stick around to send out those texts later in the afternoon? Wouldn’t it be more logical to assume that the killer would immediately leave the scene, thinking that police would be on their way?

    2(b) If the killer did struggle for the phone when the 9-11 call was placed, why would the killer leave the phone by her bedside? Wouldn’t it be more logical not to find any fingerprints or DNA? Why wouldn’t the killer take and destroy the device that may contain DNA, fingerprint, or evidence of the killer?

    3. All the personal attacks aside, of both deceased and convicted, (and for those screaming of his absolute guilt or his absolute innocents, please stop! So many innocent people whom the juries found guilty turned out to be innocent later on, and people who should have been locked up roamed free for many years. Unless you are omnipotent, you don’t know.)

    I am troubled by the basic lack of evidence and substandard investigation work in this case. If her time of death is later than what the State assumes, then all those alibis mean nothing. I believe that her time of death is important, and since I question the State’s assumed time of death, everything that follows need to be questioned. Fruit of the Poisonous Tree Doctrine, anyone?

    1. Clay set it up so she and the kids would be out of the house. Chanin never told her friends she was afraid of anyone else but Clay

      Just like Nicole Simpson, she was afraid her ex would kill her and both did

  10. I watch Dateline all the time. This is one of the few stories that has continued to bother me over the years and was shocked to see that Clay is still in prison.
    I did not see arrogance, I saw confidence in the fact that he knows he is innocent. As for Chanin’s lifestyle, plenty of people go online to “date” or have “encounters.” It is absolutely risky and should have been allowed to be heard. It seems that some were more worried about protecting her character then about putting a father in prison for life. I’m not placing judgment on her I am simply stating that if you make a choice, in life or in death, you should own your stuff. We all have our own views on what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior. That is the human nature. She, 100%, was putting herself in risky situations.
    I absolutely am disgusted how they twisted the DNA!
    What happened to the DNA found on her neck?
    As for reference to the nickname Marsh for Marshal. She absolutely could have talked of her children and used his nickname in a conversation to anyone.
    From what has been shared…..
    There is complete reasonable doubt in this case and I cannot believe our justice system has failed yet another person.
    It’s so easy to accept a verdict guilty and so hard to appeal that verdict. Frustrating!
    Beyond a reasonable doubt!! There is so much doubt here..
    I hope you all get true justice for your mom and your dad is set free.
    Again? The DNA? I have to know why that has not been put into the system? They are catching past criminals left and right on the news. How about using it to free an innocent man.

    1. How many people get killed by online lovers and how many get killed by husbands or exes?

      That usually the most obvious suspect. He was stalking her and he had the motive

      1. WHAT “motive?” They were divorced a second time and he had his own life going just fine! He was dating again and the only time he came over was to take the kids to school, and at her request to help with odd maintenance jobs. He was fully aware of her sexual promiscuity and watched their kids whenever she went out of town to get sex from random strangers.

        The prosecution repeatedly botched the investigation, and he received a lousy and shoddy defense–one or both reasons he shouldn’t still be in jail.

        He had zero motive.

        One sexual partner DID though. John Wilson (whatever his name) is a proven LIAR just in his cheating on his wife alone. He had reason and motive not to speak truthfully, and even produced a fake receipt, thus lying to police!

        Sometimes, the ex DIDN’T do it.

  11. While it is, of course, likely to be deeply painful for the family of a perpetrator that s/he murdered, their views are probative of nothing: they are not, and cannot be expected to be, objective, so what they believe is of no significance to the case. If they have relevant evidence, that is different. Homicidal history is strewn with the spouses, children and siblings of perps of whom there can be no reasonable doubt of guilt but about whom ‘family’ insist on innocence. Cognitive dissonance enables them to believe the unbelievable because the alternative is even more incredible – and too painful – for them.

    Yes, there are a very small percentage of wrongful convictions (and rather more ‘nonful’ convictions, with perps still at large); they are typical because of notoriously unreliable witness testimony, which doesn’t apply in this case.

    If it helps this family to proclaim and fight for innocence, so be it: that is what love does. But it’s pointless proclaiming this to the public, for whom the matter’s been decided. Compelling counter-evidence, if it exists, is a matter for law.

    1. Agreed. If I murdered someone and tried to get away with it my friends and family would back me up and they would never believe I would be capable of it

  12. If the family thinks that the murderer was one of the people she was dating, and they have access to all this information on these men, then why did they not find one email or text that could show anger that was directed towards Chanin? Clay points out all this inside information about these men, from knowing not only their names, but where they went, how they got there and many more details that only shows Clay’s obsessive focus on anything in her life. I would say that Clay was stalking Chanin. They couldn’t show that anyone of her boyfriends hated her.
    There is one detail in his Dateline interview that has not been talked about, which I think is directly related to what happened. He said that he and Chanin had been together many times since they divorced. I think that he planned to get together with her on that morning and surprise her when she got home. He thinking that this would be just another one of those times, but what if she made up her mind to not have any more encounters with Clay? What if he surprised her by getting naked and making his approach. What if she did resist and she scratched him in the struggle. She scratched him somewhere below the waist where no one checked if there were any marks? With her determination that these visits would end, she threatened to call 911 to enforce the restraining order and he knew that he could go to jail? So, resolved to be done with the sexual encounters from her ex-husband, she calls. He flips out. Now he has lots of anger. Makes sense on how this could have shaken down. Still makes him guilty even though he did it in a fit of rage.

    1. “If the family thinks that the murderer was one of the people she was dating, and they have access to all this information on these men, then why did they not find one email or text that could show anger that was directed towards Chanin?”

      Why would one of these men display anger in an email or text prior to a fit of anger in person?

      May be a good question, but why would you do that if you are trying to get lucky rather than rejected and shut down?

      I don’t know who or how many she may have rejected or already said no to.

      So you think Clay was scratched below the waist and not above?

      If someone is fighting someone off or especially fighting for their life, I highly doubt that.

      Clay didn’t have a scratch or a bruise because he simply wasn’t there.

  13. How can I contact his family directly, about questions I did not see in this forum. I totally believe in his innocence, and feel this is a grave injustice !!! I feel for not only Clay, but also all those whom believe in his innocence.

  14. I believe clay is innocent! I cant believe they didn’t look at the men she was communicating with online it could have been one of them! I pray for those kids! And to the oldest you are an amazing young man for caring for your siblings! I cant believe is appeal didnt work! I hope you all can get in touch with innocence progect to help yall!

  15. Thank you and good point. You answered your own question.
    Additionally, consider for a moment the state’s assertion that Chanin had just stepped out of the shower. Assuming she washed with soap, rinsed and dried off, there is now unidentified sperm on her ankle, unidentified sperm peri-vaginally, vag wash sperm was not Clay, three other partials of unidentified male DNA on and around her, her phone and her laptop that was not any autosomal evidentiary connection of Clay to Chanin’s death.

    Furthermore, there was NO DNA under her fingernails as detectives misled her brother and mother with. The autopsy does not support that claim nor the claim that Chanin was beaten. Simply not true. False narrative to inflame the jury. This is also discussed in earlier postings. It remains true whether it was posted once or ten times and / or read once or a hundred times.

    Clay DID NOT have spyware on his computer to spy on Chanin. Again, false.The key logger software was loaded onto a family desktop computer. Search history showed that Chanin was searching for a 3-4 bedroom apartment or home in Marysville, WA. When confronted, Chanin denied her involvement in the search by blaming it on the younger children, because apparently every ten year old searches for apartments in random cities they have never been to. It was actually so that Chanin could be near Rick Bolen to pursue an 11-year old affair. Rick was not happy in his relationship and told Chanin he had to marry his girlfriend Jolen since she became pregnant in 1998 / 1999. So, Rick told Jolen that he was going to attend a Whitworth College football game as an excuse to go to Spokane to meet with Chanin, which he did. It had nothing to do with football. 

  16. What is the current status of all Post Conviction actions that could help exonerate Starbuck by getting him a new trial. Im a PI working in Oregon with a number of PCR Wins over ten years. I have several ideas that I do not see asked about here….could someone get back to me?

  17. I first heard of this case through watching the Forensic Files documentary on it. It portrayed Clay as obviously guilty, so I was surprised to see this persuasive defense of him – and it is convincing, the prosecution case seems to be badly flawed.

    I don’t recall the details (names, dates, etc.), but there was a similar case involving DNA. A woman was murdered shortly after washing her hair. Her boyfriend was charged with the crime after his DNA was found on her (I think under her fingernails). The prosecution and their DNA analyst argued that the washing would have removed all his DNA. But because the quantity found was so minuscule, I think just billionths of a gram, I didn’t believe that.

    After he had been convicted, new scientific evidence was found casting doubt on whether washing would have removed all the DNA, and the DNA analyst wanted to retract her testimony, but law enforcement rejected that. His conviction is now in doubt, but the authorities are unmoved.

    I am therefore wondering how strong the DNA evidence in this Starbuck case really is.

  18. I understand that Clay’s oldest is a lawyer. I wonder what his thoughts are on this case? Drew Starbuck.

  19. From Clay’s Comments above:

    “NOTABLE

    The Detectives lied about this conversation.

    Their report first stated…they found a camera on a house that would have had to be the way I walked to and from home to the vehicle. They were not aware of the golf course route, so they changed their narrative to match the security camera lie.” -Clay Starbuck

    If you are now stating this, why is this scenario about the golf course path walk home, in ANY court documents? Matter of fact, what is written and not disputed in court, was you countering that you “never showed them where you walked.” In court, it is documented that you drove with them, twice, the path you said you walked. Thus, taking you in front of that camera.

    So why did your attorneys not even mention this in either the trial or in the appeal? This is a crucial piece of evidence, and during the trial, that is when you would think, that you would need to be very clear. During the Dateline interview the reporter states:

    Dateline: “They didn’t ask you were you went?”
    Clay: “No.”
    Dateline: “Because they say you told them.”
    Clay: “I did hear that.”
    Dateline: “What? What are you saying, that their memories are bad?”
    Clay: “Or something.”
    Dateline: “That they’re lying, or what?”

    Clay, this is one of the reasons why the jury of your peers, found you guilty. You came up with the “walking in the golf course” theory when you learned about the camera, after you were found guilty! According to court reports and statements by your attorney, you never said this change in path during the trial.

  20. I just watched this Dateline episode and one thing that stood out to me that I haven’t heard much about is that Chanin’s place was broken into multiple times. I can understand she was afraid and even if she believed it was Clay it was said on one of the break in dates Clay was in Alaska and it couldn’t have been him. Were the break ins thoroughly investigated? If someone else broke into her home it seems possible that they could have killed her.

  21. This is from Clay’s response above in regards to hiring attorneys and private investigators. I find it very interesting that he said:

    “Investigating Investigators
    You cannot simply scrape the surface, one has to dig a little. Unfortunately, we have also used some attorneys that were recommended by people we trusted and that too went south.

    People lie. Attorneys lie. Police officers lie. Witnesses lie, Expert witnesses lie, and not all Judges are interested in getting to the truth but rather making the public feel comfortable for that next election.”

    So Clay, everyone lies? Except you? I wrote in another comment about how on the stand and during the Dateline interview, you kept telling people you don’t get upset. Then why did you send a text to Chanin that said, and I quote “You stupid Bit..” So, were you lying when you said you don’t get upset? Or does everyone else lie and mislead? Ah, the webs we weave….

    1. Not at all saying that ALL people lie… but you may be shocked to find out how many do, most especially within the system of justice when lives are at stake. These five kids had their mother AND their father taken from them. Wouldn’t you think authorities would want to get it right, because that would be the just thing to do? Detectives needed to get to a conviction really fast to ease public fears and make themselves look like stellar detectives, and apparently so much so that they felt it required telling the five kids that their dad did it, even though he didn’t. The true murderer is still at large. Does that bother you? Do the lies not matter? Would it matter if you were the one who didn’t do it? The comment was taken out of context and is the only thing they could find to use. Chanin had just said to Clay, ‘You stupid bastard’ and he responded with ‘Thank you! You stupid bitch.’They didn’t memorialize her comment, because they didn’t want her to look bad and didn’t want one word of negative about her in trial. It isn’t about making her look bad. It should be about truth and it wasn’t. It really is that simple.

        1. They weren’t able to develop a full profile. They could only narrow it down to Starbuck male. It all depends on the quantity, quality and care of the DNA sample.

          1. No Philip, the DNA was not narrowed down to male Starbuck DNA. It was not even narrowed down to which of the 19 entries of people at the scene transferred the DNA. Alleles are similar to Trautman, Shover and several other law enforcement officers that moved Chanin around staging photo’s for 7 hours before the Medical Examiner arrived.

              1. Yes, WSP is the only facility that conducted these minimal tests that did not match Clay to anything tested. Of the limited items tested, they did not have an autosomal DNA match to Clay.

          2. Incorrectly and very misleadingly at trial, Steinmetz, Ricketts and Lorraine Heath state the DNA was a match when it was not. There may have been a few alleles that were similar or the same, but that is the case looking at law enforcement and medical assistants whom also transferred DNA around the scene. It was not a STR match profile. Those people knew this and still wound up the jury and Chanin’s family, or the people that were related in some way to her.

            Yes, as of now, it is most likely that messages were sent from Chanin’s phone. Multiple men knew the children’s school schedules, names and nicknames as well as ages. We have correspondence where Chanin used these names and variances with trysts. Virtually any knowledge that Chanin’s family attempts to provide will be in error. They wish they did, but they did not know her.

        2. It is not male Starbuck DNA. If Detective Ricketts wasn’t 99% incompetent and 100% corrupt we could have found out with proper testing of samples.

      1. Clay needs to get in touch with Kathleen T. Zellner. If anyone can help free an innocent man, Ms. Zellner is it.
        As far as Chanin goes, maybe she should have been smarter about having sex with strange men she met online and not been so promiscuous. Doesn’t sound like Mother of the year to me. And a Church going Mormon? My ass. Chanin sounds like a tramp who made dumb decisions, just to get laid.
        I hope Clay gets his freedom back soon. He deserves it.

        1. Clay is not innocent. That’s why he is serving a life sentence. You’re the one that doesn’t sound very smart.

      2. I just watched your brother’s story on Dateline. I believe he is innocent and hope he get’s out. I was so touched by the story that I had to reach out. I think the detective’s didn’t do a good job of checking all the evidence out. It’s bull that the judge didn’t allow the evidence about her life online to be told in court. The children should have been believed over school acquaintances of her’s. I have watched hundred’s of shows like your brother’s, and instead of doing real detective work it’s so easy to pin murder on a ex husband instead of finding out who really killed her. I think she took her life in her own hands when she was hooking up with all these stranger’s. Prayers for your family and Clay to be released.

    2. One sided half-truths. Using the Mother of Chanin who felt Clay was “chasing skirts” so what if he was? They were divorced. Only Chanin needed to get out and date?
      One month of online dating and then the camera bought for security oh no for her Chanins computer so she could web cam.
      Chanin was murdered seems like the prosecution went with the role Chanin was playing to protect her privacy using Clay as a blame to cover it turned on Chanin because there was nobody who really knew what she was up to. Dangerous game and deadly.

      1. Chasing skirts while not married, is way different than meeting multiple strangers online and meeting to have sex, in your own home, where you children live is just asking for trouble.

      1. The evidence supports the jury’s verdict. Clay’s lawyers had all the opportunity and ability to get the witnesses that Clay is always talking about such as the ones that saw his vehicle there as a rebuttal to the states Witnesses. Clay hung himself on that one with his own statements and the drive with the detectives on the route he took. Chanin . Might have been on line a lot but she was only being sexually active with the two men that were thoroughly investigated. That 911 call was pivotal in this case. Clay did not count on that. The timeline was fixed at that point. This whole story about why his phone died and then not being plugged into a charger until 4 in the afternoon what is rather pathetic on Clay’s. Version of that part of this whole story. She became a dental hygienist and was enjoying her independence. Even in a sexual way. I hope this reply actually makes it on to the main page. I’m just getting started but I’ll stop there for now. He either had the worst to lawyers and investigator working his case or he just didn’t have a successful defensible case which he didn’t. If the lawyers were incompetent as she states and which was presented to the court of appeals but even there he was turned away. I guess buy some lying judge. One who has no interest in the truth or Justice I suppose. You will not find an Innocence Project that will take your case on. It can’t just be on DNA but your story Pastor support DNA findings even if they are somebody else’s DNA. If your story is not supported by fact or proven evidence against you they will not take it on.

  22. Did anyone consider a wife or girlfriend of the married guy?
    Maybe they got caught having sex and that’s why Kenlien acted so wish washy about his whereabouts?
    When your dealing with sneaking around behind your wives back maybe that’s why the text were answered. Or were they sent out from Chanins phone?

    1. Yes the messages were sent from Chanin’s phone to the kids from only one person that knew one if the kids nick names…not likely a spouse or girlfriend of kenleins. Clay Starbuck-guilty.

      1. It was stated that her texts show she mentions Marsh in several texts to these online acquaintances. Perhaps a wife of one had read the husband’s texts…

  23. Thank you, Mitchell for putting the truth out there.

    Reasonable folks will see right through the State’s horrible handling of this case and realize that Chanin did not get her justice, because they couldn’t look beyond a less complicated path of the proverbial ex-husband.

    Good job, Spokane. The truth is the truth is the truth. You should never convict an innocent person for something they did not do. It’s shameful on every level.

    Oh…and you bozo’s who think you can brainwash a teenager or two or three…try it some time and let me know how that works out for ya!

    Kathy

    1. October of 2017 John Charlton 28 years for the dismemberment murder of Seattle nurse mother of 3. 04/2011 John Charlton had a district court ticket Spokane, Washington.. John Charlton online dating.

      1. Explanation: Ingrid Lyne was a nurse at Swedish Medical Center hospital in Seattle.

        Ms. Lyne met John Robert Charlton on dating Web site. Lyne was divorced with three daughters. John Charlton had criminal record in 6 states.

        They dated for one month, until Charlton murdered Ingrid Lyne.

        He dismembered her, left her parts in locations around Seattle.

        More info: Man sentenced to more than 27 years for killing, dismemberment of Renton nurse and mother

        1. John Charleton was living near Spokane Washington in 2011. April 2011 he had a court date for a traffic ticket his DNA would be on file or look who he dated online 2011? Eerie similarities with both Ingrid and Chanin..

      1. It is not your fault, and it is not what you wanted, but you ended up being correct. 
        Yes, everyone should watch the new series Forensic Files II – Last Gasp. 
        The program lays it all out, minus resemblance of truth. 
        Let’s presume for a moment (just for fun) that information in this program is false and incorrectly portrayed, then see how you feel about it. What if you are wrong?

  24. Recent comments are all over the board. Will try to state some clarifying facts in a short list that will become a long list because there is so much that is wrong / incorrect.

    If you don’t know the family and don’t do the research, how could you possibly begin to know? You would just be making things up, much like Spokane Detectives. See how that works?

    Pre-Trial Motions kept many things out of court so that the Jury wasn’t allowed hear the truth:
    • Alternative suspect evidence.
    • Text messages from Tom Walker to Chanin on Dec 1st.
    • Allegation that Chanin left minor children alone for trysts.
    • Allegation of nude photos of herself and several men on her computer.
    • Recorded telephone calls between Clay and his mother and sister.
    • State witness, John Kenlein, retaining a lawyer before he would speak with law enforcement.
    • Allegation of sexual trysts with men Chanin was dating / not dating.
      • (both State witnesses stated their relationship was sexual in nature and not a dating relationship. The State brought it into trial anyway, but Defense wasn’t allowed to)
    • The State and Defense both required by court order to tell witnesses (including the kids) that they could NOT talk about any of the above or the court would shut them down. That’s when the kids knew that the truth was being withheld from the Jury in a blatant fashion, which meant it was not going to be a fair trial. It was a lot of things, but fair it was not..
    • If Chanin had just taken a shower, was that before or after they said Clay supposedly hid in the house to wait for her?
    • Why was sperm found on her ankle and abdomen if she had just taken a shower?
    • Why wasn’t sperm tested for DNA? Detectives couldn’t have it be someone other than Clay, so they didn’t want to test and have proof that it was someone else! That wouldn’t fit their fabricated theory now, would it? Rather amazing, don’t you think?
    • The broken down vehicle did not belong to Clay. It was his son’s vehicle and it broke down all the time, before and after Chanin’s death. It had absolutely nothing to do with Chanin’s death. Yes there is plenty of proof, but detectives didn’t care about that.
    • For the most part, as multiple people including family members have stated, Chanin was a good Mom. However, she lived a complicated life. Just because you don’t / can’t follow it, doesn’t mean it was over explained.
    • The State only had to convince, by way of extremely limited factual information, a legally misled jury down a path to conviction.
    • Chanin was a master manipulator and Summer Starks is proof of that. Summer was not a family friend or even Chanin’s friend. She was an LDS person whom Chanin knew from church and manipulated for her own benefit. Sorry Summer, you were played.
    1. John Charleton was living near Spokane Washington in 2011. April 2011 he had a court date for a traffic ticket his DNA would be on file or look who he dated online 2011? Eerie similarities with both Ingrid and Chanin..

      1. It’s really ironic that, the lifestyle of Chanin is exclude in areas where the “so what” if she had multiple partners or so what if she liked sex?
        Yet, Clay buying her a brand new vibrator packaged in a classy gift bag turned into him being a stalker creep instead of maybe he wasn’t against her sexual appetite it’s the completely understandable reason.
        Online dating is a craps game you do not know who you are meeting up with.
        Instead the prosecution completely left out this huge part of Chanins lifestyle.
        Clay Starbucks was divorced twice had four oops three children with Chanin.
        Let’s ignore what we would have to investigate let’s ignore forensic testing let’s ignore a variety of men who Chanin was involved with.
        Let’s just go with what the lies that Chanin told and put those on the stand as evidence and character references.
        Not her four children no we won’t acknowledge them as the best and foremost reliable witnesses. Then when there is a question where as the prosecution could step up and look at the case further go deeper into the investigation listen to the people who matter in this horrible murder case which would be the four innocent young people who you have ordered them to not have a relationship with their Dad who they to this day support Clay. Sadly you are the Justice systems bad apples.
        Should have stepped up respected this family not enforced your opinion and not your duty then used a no contact order to further the wounds. Because you are so right in that arena you have taken an oath to uphold the law in.
        Clay Starbucks worst fears for his wife and children put him in prison for life because the prosecution used that and put Clay in the predator role and took the stance Clay was in.
        If this is not twisted and gross travesty of justice.
        Insane.

    2. Is that your theme for his defense, that it must’ve been one of her sex buddies who killed her? Do you know how many people have multiple sex partners they met through online sites? Does that mean they’re all murderers as well? The judge didn’t allow that garbage in bc it proved absolutely nothing. Some people just enjoy sex with multiple partners without the love and romance side. That doesn’t mean they’re destined to be murdered by one of them and that’s exactly why the judge wouldn’t allow it, bc the only thing it proved, was that she liked sex.

      1. This was not a judgement call.
        Sex is a private personal choice. I’m not hating. Just feel if there is DNA or evidence not tested and there is 4 of the family members all on the same page have the same thoughts due to they live with the victim.and know the truth why punish them not acknowledge them and why no contact why why why?? It’s not about winning its about reality of facts that have nothing to do with Ego or Law Degree competitions. Better Safe than Sorry? What if? Let’s see: Mistake and what happens if? All questions and evidence answered and tested. Starbucks Kids had the courts punish them using victim as the excuse when they were exactly opposite.

        1. We concur and are not hating, either. It is what is it is and that should have come out to defend oneself. This dangerous at-risk activity was not just a one month issue. It was 1999 / 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 / 2008, 2009-2011 and spanned over 7 states. Personally, we believe the camera was used for vehicle safety during her vacation trip, and nothing to do with family or ex-family.

          Some may feel it was odd to return a camera for full refund a few months after purchase, but that is how she grew up. Her mother didn’t have a lot of money / resources, so as Chanin, Stephen and Amy grew up, they would go to a big K-mart, Walmart or Target, purchase camping gear and what all they needed to have an enjoyable weekend at the beach. When done, they placed it all back in boxes for a satisfaction guaranteed refund. You don’t have to agree with this, they did what they did to get by. Of course Chanin would lie to the Carter’s as to why she needed it. Chanin needed someone to set it up for her. Actually I was quite surprised Doug could figure it out with or without instructions. He never was responsible for putting the handy in handyman.

          1. Once again Kathy Starbuck Nasholm has no clue of what she is talking about. Our family was heavily involved in scouting. We had every piece of camping equipment under the sun. I used to work at Kmart when I was in high school and told stories about people buying camping equipment and returning it when they were finished. Kathy doesn’t know what the hell she is talking about. Why don’t you ask Clay how Chanin’s missing garage door opener ended up in his truck after she was murdered by him? Way to many coincidences for clay Duane Starbuck to explain away.

            1. Chanin shared those stories of buying, using and returning camping supplies. Not all, but some purchases made for kids in your family to have fun at New Smyrna Beach. It happened as Chanin said it did or she lied to our family about it. 

              When you ask / make a statement about a garage door opener, please understand that the Reiper house was turned over on the 5th or 6th. When Clay and Austin went over to see why the heat wasn’t on, a garage door opener was in Chanin’s car and a second opener was in the cupboard above the stove. Chanin had already passed. Austin kept that opener in his truck, again several days after Chanin passed. When the landlord contacted Austin for a walkthrough, he wanted to go to work and did not want to be involved. Clay didn’t have a key, so used that opener to let the landlord in. Clay also let the furnace repair person in to replace a motor on a different day. All logged.

              That is not coincidence, but just how it happened. Chanin passed 1st or 2nd, house turned over 5th or 6th, landlord visited 10th/11th/12th. Chanin changed locks 3 times, she controlled door opening / closing.
              If I apply your train of thought for February 6th, the kids beds, Chanin’s dresser, washing machine, jewelry boxes, cedar chest, glasses, Starbuck children’s clothes were over at Clay’s…you are calling that a coincidence as well. It is all after the house was turned over to the family. NOTHING to do with time before Dec. 6th. 

              I’m sorry. I’m sure this is hard to accept. The homeowner was aware of the leaky toilet in the master that Chanin asked Clay to repair when it leaked through the floor. There is plenty of history of Chanin lying to her family concerning her relationships. 

              We are sorry for your loss, it is not easy on any of her family members, especially the ones that lived through her reckless actions. We don’t expect any of this to be easy for you to comprehend. 

              If you could, please provide the dates of her vacation to visit you in Florida at the end of July into August 2011. There were three guys she stayed with (Salt Lake, Altamonte Springs, and back in Spokane) when she was supposed to have her children. Please forward the arrival / departure dates so we can fill in the blanks. Thanks.

      2. If you were more familiar with the case you would know some of the facts surrounding the ‘one of her sex buddies’ (as you call them) theme isn’t a theme and no, it does not mean they’re all murderers as well. That would be short-sighted and just as ridiculous as assuming the ex-husband killed her because that’s what ex-husband’s do and they are always guilty, right?! 

        The judge didn’t allow that garbage in because it did prove something, but that isn’t the path detectives took. They had to save face by keeping it out of court. The issue isn’t at all whether Chanin was a good or bad person for having multiple partners. I could care less how many partners she had.  Facts remain that she put herself and her children in danger by stacking up multiple partners and the activities she engaged in (choking during sex, for example) put her in grave danger yet she found it convenient to slander Clay to her church friends because problems with an “Ex” are believable and it protected her secret lifestyle she didn’t want them to know. If you weigh that against the manner in which she died, yes it absolutely matters and that garbage is important to the case. Major Crimes did Chanin and Clay and their children a great disservice by treating hearsay as evidence and not following the evidence.

        I don’t care what you believe, but would hope that no matter who you are or what you want it to be, that you would want the truth. 

        1. During his appeal after conviction, did his lawyers attempt to have that information included as opposed to the trial judge excluding it and if so, what was their response?

          1. Post conviction appeal has to be on issues that were on record of the Trial. These issues must also be preserved correctly. Public Defender, Derek Reid, did not investigate trysts enough to argue appropriately the importance of other suspect evidence.

            This permitted Appellate Judge Korsmo to easily side with his buddy Prosecutor Steinmetz as to other suspects would be cumulative proclivities when it clearly was not. If cumulative at any level would be dangerously cumulative.

            We thought that Korsmo must have had illegal ex parte communication with Prosecutor Steinmetz and they collectively decided to lie on the Appellate Courts response or possibly worse, Korsmo’s Opine contained false statements concerning Chanin’s relationships and injuries. Specifically, Korsmo stated Chanin was beaten so badly as to cause a brain injury. 100% false, made up and even when the BS flowed from Dr. Aikens and Steinmetz at trial, these comments were never made. So in effect, Korsmo made up even more lies, added it to his official write up, then swears to it to manipulate legal outcomes, individuals and families lives for no reason other than to serve himself. 

        2. Shame on you, I completely understand your stance in support of your family, I came on this site with an open mind, wanting to hear your side of the story, It was hard to get to the facts, as they were watered down in what appears to be a long winded smear campaign of a MURDER VICTIM, Who can’t defend themselves. We get it you didn’t approve of the “lifestyle” she lived, You never miss an opportunity to make derogatory, character assassinating statements & comments about the victim. If you want private investigators, Lawyers or any Innocence Projects to take you seriously, I would start by being a better human being Both of you!!!!

          1. Then you don’t have an open mind, as what you took as derogatory or character assassinating comments/statements are fact that you have apparently rejected without paying attention. That’s shameful in my book.
            Before you tell me I need to be a better human, take into consideration that you could be very wrong and might owe me an apology.

      3. So, Phillip what is your take on the new vibrator packaged in lovers package gift wrapping that, Clay gave Chanin? That’s inappropriate?
        You think twice married four children on and Chanin had no issues with her children going with Clay.
        Clay fixed her computer. Had a key to her house.
        Clay knew about the fears Chanin was having wanted a gun and cameras?
        Just think Clays fears for Chanins lifestyle not because of her but her safety because she might not like someone anymore and they might not feel the same. I would say that the strangers in chanins life deserved being investigated. The gun Chanin had was not for Clay.
        Chanin and Clay shared children they no longer were together but very attached.
        Children were a big attachment.
        For anyone to overlook the strangers who had sexual or if any relations with Chanin be ignored?
        Maybe someone snapped because of jealousy of Clay? Maybe Chanin was in a relationship with Clay and who she was having sex with got pissed off because they were not exclusive. People snap it could have been one of many scenarios. Clays semen was not on her DNA so that’s not anything but, attaching people to the environment.

        1. Sabra Kelly, If you don’t mind, I would like to help you as you are making your way to the truth. 
          Thanks, Kathy

          “So, Phillip, what is your take on the new vibrator packaged in lovers package gift wrapping that Clay gave Chanin? (FALSE. Someone else did this. Again, not Clay. Chanin told her dental school friends it came from Clay. Then her mother spouted off about things she knows nothing about. The gift bag, note and empty packaging were found in her dresser. Detectives did not bother taking prints or DNA samples, however they did take the sex toy into evidence and didn’t test it for DNA, either.) That’s inappropriate?

          You think twice married four children (FALSE. Five children) on and Chanin had no issues with her children going with Clay.

          Clay fixed her computer. Had a key to her house. (FALSE. Clay did not have a key to her house from 1-1/2 years previous. Chanin had changed the locks on the house twice, once when Clay was living in Alaska and not even around…so which one of her trysts was she afraid of??)

          Clay knew about the fears Chanin was having wanted a gun and cameras?
          Just think Clays fears for Chanins lifestyle not because of her but her safety because she might not like someone anymore and they might not feel the same. I would say that the strangers in chanins life deserved being investigated. The gun Chanin had was not for Clay. (CORRECT! Also the mace, asp and impact flashlight she had stashed were for protection from those that were not Clay)

          Chanin and Clay shared children they no longer were together but very attached.
          Children were a big attachment.
          For anyone to overlook the strangers who had sexual or if any relations with Chanin be ignored?
          Maybe someone snapped because of jealousy of Clay? Maybe Chanin was in a relationship with Clay (FALSE) and who she was having sex with got pissed off because they were not exclusive. People snap it could have been one of many scenarios. (CORRECT) Clays semen was not on her DNA so that’s not anything but, attaching people to the environment. (WELL DONE! You are already a better detective than Spokane Major Crimes!)

          1. Yes i do think its inappropriate for someone to hang a sex toy on her door knob with the msg that i believe said have fun or enjoy (perhaps the exact writing was something different but to the same effect) and i don’t believe it was authored so perhaps it did or did not come from clay. The police investigated the men of most consequence that Chanin had relations with and eliminated them as possible suspects. I know his supporters will say that every guy she had contact with should’ve been investigated but i agree with the judge and his ruling, that her sex life, regardless of where she met these men from, would be prejudicial. Character assassination is often something a defense team will employ or attempt to bc they want to instill an emotional response from the jurors. Prosecutors will sometimes employ the exact same response to illicit the same emotional feeling they’re looking for from the jurors. As far as the DNA goes, i know it wasn’t a slam dunk and they could only narrow it down to Starbuck male but ask yourself, if none of them were there, how exactly is it they find the DNA on her neck, where the killer strangled her. Transfer or touch DNA from one of her son’s? How often would you find that on someone’s neck? On clothing i would absolutely agree that that is plausible.

            1. The gift bag, letter and packaging was at Chanin’s after the really horrible investigators left. No it did not say that, and correct it was not signed with any name, just see you soon. The time of that was May / June 2011, not close to her passing. She had opened it and CSI took it. They were just not smart enough to know what they were looking at.

      4. We concur and do not care about number of partners.

        The State Prosecutor stated surely anyone she was ‘dating’ ‘having sex with’ would not kill her. Detective Dresback learned a new word for the week and said she was acting on natural proclivities. Alternatively, neither does it mean that because she had an ex-husband that he killed her because he was her ex. That’s ridiculous…follow the facts.

        The Prosecutor’s statements were not challenged by Derek Reid even though they had an email chain from 3 days before her approximate death between Chanin and three men she had not yet met, for sex involving choking in exchange for money. (BURIED INFO KEPT OUT OF COURT)

        Chanin’s hook up with Thomas Collier, a married man from / and a prominent Washington DC Attorney found her on whatsyourprice.com.

        Scott Newton was trying to propose to her at this same time.

        During her vacation to Florida, she met two men in Florida, stopped overnight in Salt Lake and returned to Washington to yet another tryst other than Broadhurst, Walker, Wilson / Kenlein or Conner.

        Men were picking her up at 11 p.m., returning her at 4 a.m. without safe regard for her children.

        So, it is not the number, and it does not even have to be the one’s she said ‘yes’ to. It’s the one’s she said ‘no’ to.
        Not just meetings, but known on internet web shows.

        Let’s say Chanin did just get out of the shower. If a few alleles were similar to male Starbuck DNA, 3 unidentified male DNA still existed on her and her phone, sperm on ankle, abdomen and sex kit. Still unidentified DNA / fingerprints / hair on massager existed as she just exited the shower and had bought the massager the day before (Barney Fife didn’t investigate enough to find the receipt). How can this be? Because the State knew they had a mess on their hands and they had no resources or knowledge how to investigate it. Clay was an easy target as he was living so close and they easily misrepresented her death. Easily misrepresented the entire case.

        A few of Clay’s alleles align with Deputy Shover, the deputy that entered Chanin’s home checking for a pulse by touching her neck and wrist after opening a door Clay touched as the family looked for her. 

        So get off your multiple partners is okay kick, that isn’t the issue as much as the quality of paying singles, doubles and multiple partners at the same time, or the ones she turned down. Couldn’t it also be the guy that stayed in the house as she took the children to school and he was pissed when Wilson / Kenlein showed up at the house. Clay not being able to take the children to school messed up Chanin’s unloading one guy to be ready for the next. 

        It all balled up for her.

        Things that make you go, hmmm….

      5. Regardless of where she met them, … you agree with the judge that it would be prejudicial. So you feel all people she met on Backpage were above-board good people? Or that whatsyourprice, plenty of fish, sugardaddie, and numerous others would be too prejudicial and should not be investigated when there was multiple unidentified DNA on her, her neck, her phone, her ankle. Really?

    3. This state brought in those to mail Witnesses had they were viable suspects at the time. They brought them in to show where they were and the type of relationship they were having. Clay’s. Lawyers had all the opportunity in the world 2 question these two witnesses in graphic detail as to the type of relationship they were having with Chanin. This would give the jury a very good understanding as to her habits with these two men and how they were contacted bye online dating services. This was presented to the jury bye the cross-examination done on Clay’s behalf.

  25. After reading many of the comments here, it is clear that the people who think Clay’s giuilty, think so because they WANT to think so. They provide no good arguments.

    While on the other side, so much reasonable doubt is presented. Facts matter. Those who “believe” he’s guilty, do so because they want to, not because of the evidence.

    1. Why don’t you tell that to the 12 jurors who convicted him. Did they believe he was guilty without looking at the evidence? You just wrote the most ridiculous comment I’ve seen on this page.

        1. The DNA under Chanin’s fingernails and on her neck. That is what mainly convicted clay. The circumstantial evidence was also overwhelming. Apparently you did not pay attention during the trial. Clay is exactly where he belongs.

          1. Fingernails were clipped and sampled as a batch. Care was not given for top side versus underside results. Underside would be STR and CODIS quality generated from skin cells. The lab manipulated Y-STR samples that was similar to a minimum of 7 individuals related to the case, including detectives, medical examiner personnel and trysts. 

            If Chanin changed the locks on the home twice after Clay left, how would he have been able to enter when the home was always locked? 

            How was Chanin able to shower, exit the shower, dry off, and still have sperm on her ankle, abdomen and clothing?

        2. Curious? I don’t find that curious at all and of course that would be your response bc you’re his supporter and a member of the family I would assume so coming from you it means absolute squat bc you’d never be able to be impartial.

    2. I feel at Clay is guilty based on the evidence. The totality of the evidence against him. I followed this case closely. I Fred most of the post. Newspaper articles. Dateline and Forensic Files. The evidence against Clay is overwhelming. If there is new evidence that would support clay that would be presented at appeals courts or higher. New evidence or evidence that would support clay but held back by the prosecution which is a Brady violation would also give clay a new trial. None of this exists or any good appellate lawyer would have presented this information to the appeals court. It’s not there. There is no new evidence 2 present or it would have been done and he would have had a second trial. Don’t talk to the naysayers or the people that do not support Clay’s innocence like we’re all idiots. Some are as there are in the group that professors Clay’s innocence. But there are those such as myself that take pride and doing the homework and voicing our support 4 the jury’s decision.

    1. They have a story. It’s just not a good one based on facts. They don’t like the True Crime novel. They like the fiction version. There’s good reason they get turned away by the Appellate Court. No new evidence. No Brady violation. No new trial.

  26. I haven’t read through all of the comments but has anyone asked this guy what exactly were the sticking points that had the jury come to their conclusion of guilt, as in have any of the jurors commented publicly about what exactly convinced them he was guilty? I’ve watched the Dateline program and if there’s one thing that bothers me, it’s a defendant who’s convinced he’s going to be found not guilty to the point of arrogance. You never know what a jury is going to do. Also, I did read some of the comments and responses from clay about one guy saying he spent 2 different days with Chanin and they did not engage in sexual activity as well as another comment talking about how he was negative towards his ex wife. Firstly, clays entire response to that is a wash for the sheer fact that he has no idea what was and wasn’t said between the 2 of them. He wasn’t there with them so to presume you know what your ex did or did not say to this man is speculation. To my other comment, throughout Clay’s responses to certain questions regarding his wife’s lifestyle, it’s clear and obvious he has animosity and anger towards his ex. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that one out. His own words speak for themselves. Him saying he tried to help his wife with her choice of lifestyle in the sexual arena is tantamount to saying she had some sort of disease. Some people just love having sex and it doesn’t matter how many different partners they have. Correct me if I’m wrong, but being a nymphomaniac doesn’t classify you as someone who needs help. I look forward to seeing a response.

    1. I haven’t read through all of the comments but has anyone asked this guy what exactly were the sticking points that had the jury come to their conclusion of guilt, as in have any of the jurors commented publicly about what exactly convinced them he was guilty? Yes, they were told “We have our guy”, “It’s a match”, “doesn’t matter if he didn’t do this alone”, and told that he killed her because he didn’t want to pay child support, among a long list of other non-issues that they fabricated.

      I’ve watched the Dateline program and if there’s one thing that bothers me, it’s a defendant who’s convinced he’s going to be found not guilty to the point of arrogance. You never know what a jury is going to do.

      Arrogance, not so much. Hope and faith, sure. When you are innocent, you don’t want to go into any of it thinking they will convict. Good grief, you are an innocent man. Why would you ever think that would happen?

      Also, I did read some of the comments and responses from clay about one guy saying he spent 2 different days with Chanin and they did not engage in sexual activity as well as another comment talking about how he was negative towards his ex wife. Firstly, clays entire response to that is a wash for the sheer fact that he has no idea what was and wasn’t said between the 2 of them. He wasn’t there with them so to presume you know what your ex did or did not say to this man is speculation.

      Actually, your entire paragraph is false. Clay’s comments came from police reports. Otherwise you are correct. There would be no other way to know. So yes, we really do know what he says that Chanin told him.

      To my other comment, throughout Clay’s responses to certain questions regarding his wife’s lifestyle, it’s clear and obvious he has animosity and anger towards his ex. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that one out.

      Again, false. So I guess it might take a rocket scientist after all.

      His own words speak for themselves. Him saying he tried to help his wife with her choice of lifestyle in the sexual arena is tantamount to saying she had some sort of disease. Some people just love having sex and it doesn’t matter how many different partners they have. Correct me if I’m wrong, but being a nymphomaniac doesn’t classify you as someone who needs help.

      I guess if you understood her history over the course of a decade and the danger she put herself and her family in, you might have a better understanding of what you’re trying to talk about with this particular case.

      I look forward to seeing a response.

      1. I asked what the jury said they convicted him on, not what they were told by the police and the prosecution and not your opinion that their reasons were all fabricated. Oh, and whether or not you think so, it was arrogance. His responses and body language had arrogance written all over it. A defendant who has belief and faith in their innocence still has that tiny lingering doubt that they could be found guilty. He had no doubt whatsoever that he would be found innocent.

        1. Now you are a body language expert? Really? Which finger am I holding up? Pick something you can be good at, your parents lied to you, you cannot be anything you want.

          So, confidence with a little doubt? You drive expecting to not make it to your destination? Do you fly with a 5% chance you won’t make it? Do you eat meat expecting to choke or do you have confidence you won’t choke? Ask real questions, you’ll get real answers.

          The Dateline interview was conducted during a 9 day break in the middle of trial, at which time Clay was being told by first chair counsel that he would straighten out the incorrect evidence, witness statements and law enforcement testimony. Then he never did. When Clay found out his attorney was not, he asked to return to the stand and was not permitted to.

          1. lol so you resort to insults when someone throws something in your face that you can’t seem to get around. Am I watching you on tv with that finger up? Don’t think so and I’m not the only one on this website who agrees with his arrogance. It’s pointless arguing with someone like you bc as I said before, you have no ability to be impartial. Whether he’s guilty or not, I hope for your sake that he maintains his innocence for the rest of his natural life bc if he were guilty and admitted to it, I’d be the first in line to call you the proverbial fool. Btw, my parents never lied to me when they said I could be anything I want. Anytime you wanna compare iq levels please let me know. Just bc you have delved into this case and every detail, it doesn’t make you an expert. If I had a family member convicted of murder and believed in their innocence I’d of done the same thing and familiarized myself with every intricate detail of the case. The difference between you and me, is that I’d still have a lingering doubt even to the smallest degree that I could be wrong. Do you watch the true crime shows that show cases where the family members of a convicted murderer swore up and down that their loved one was innocent only later on to have that murderer confess? Everyone is capable of murder, whether you wanna believe that or not.

            1. Why would you assume it was a middle finger. It was my index finger, which further proves that not all assumptions you make are correct. This is why we use facts. If you would like to be treated better, stop twisting case information and bringing up your personal twists. Our comments are not opinions, they are proven, documented facts. When you make a comment about the Olsen’s camera location. …It is in Det. Ricketts report where he states a camera was found on a house that would have had to be the way he walked. That is a quote, not a made up line. So follow along so we don’t have to keep answering the same questions b/c you ask or make false statements surrounding case information. Please ask good questions. If you pick and make outlandish comments, you’ll be ignored or be used as a good bad example. Planning to fail as you state doesn’t work for me. It doesn’t seem very confident, arrogant or successful, but hey, go get ’em tiger. Congratulations if that is working for you. You should never prosecute an innocent person because you don’t want to believe or deal with the facts. 

              1. I didn’t say middle finger, i said finger. You might wanna go back and read that again. You say that my comments are assumptions and twisting of facts. Are you saying that everything on the dateline/forensic files programs complete fiction bc these are people who not only sit through the trial and interview people of importance but their “opinions” are also based on fact. You completely deny that there was male StarbuckDNA yet its a proven FACT that the DNA was present, regardless of the fact that it wasn’t a 1 in 3 trillion match. I’m no legal expert but isn’t there a burden of proof required in order to have DNA results included? Did his defense attorney not request that both that sample and all other unknown samples be tested? Where at in the appeals process is his case? Has he exhausted all of his appeals? I’m not disagreeing with you that there was some sloppy work done on behalf of the police and i know news programs like dateline don’t include every important fact or the complete other side of the story but i trust that they’re honest bc they do episodes that cover wrongful convictions and they’ve even helped uncover information in certain cases that both aided the prosecution or the defendant.

            2. Excellent. Very good post. These kids or I should say adults now don’t post anything but insults at people that do not believe in his innocence

          2. Boy those were some A-plus analogies you wrote there. Everytime you drive there’s always a chance you don’t make it, just as there is when you fly and possibly crash or eat meat and choke. It’s called uncertainty and yes, you can have confidence hand in hand with uncertainty. If you want to keep trading barbs like adolescents that’s fine by me. I’ve asked you multiple times where at in the appeals process he is or if he’s exhausted all of his appeals and got no answer. Is that not a real question? Has testing been completed or in the process of for all of the unknown DNA found on her phone, ankle and other areas?

  27. Watching Dateline about this story and I’m shocked the jury found him guilty when it is obvious there was REASONABLE DOUBT.

    Unknown male DNA on her phone and neck. Clay’s vehicle was seen broke down just as he stated.

    The more shocking thing to me was the judge ordering no contact with his children. What the hell is that?! The children can decide on their own if they want to see him or not.

    This is a horrible miscarriage of justice.

    Keep fighting. Contact The Innocence Project. I believe they would take this case and can help.

    1. John Charlton murdered and dismembered a young Mom from Seattle Wa. she met him online. John Charlton lived near Spokane was online dating time Chanin was murdered. They need to re-investigate this murder. I believe Clay is innocent.

  28. Other suspects were looked at and they all had an alibi. Clay says his car broke down, texts Shannon to have her leave the house to take the kids to school. Clay enters the house and waits for her to get home. Shannon calls 911 when she is attacked (reasonable time of death). Phones don’t record 911 calls for a reason, so the suspect doesn’t realize they called. Shannon’s phone is used after the assault to communicate with the children, and the person communicating with them is pretending to be Shannon and knows them very well…hmmmmm!! See he didn’t realize her call to 911 went through and recorded her struggle. So he communicated with his kids with Shannon’s phone like she was still alive. Would a stranger have cared about communicating with her kids to make sure they were picked up from school? That fact alone proved your guilt, do your family a favor and tell them the truth, let them move on….GUILTY!!!

    1. I picked up on that as well. Also, the person using her phone sent msgs to the guy who was at her front door asking if he had stopped by. How would any other person even think to use her phone and send msgs to this guy let alone picking out this guy specifically to msg? Can’t wrap my brain around that but I’m sure the response from him would be that the killer must’ve gone through her phone and found a msg saying that guy would be stopping by.

    2. The cops didn’t look into the other seven men Chanin was having sex with. Didn’t even contact them. So your first sentence is FALSE.

      There was so much reasonable doubt in this trial, there’s no way a reasonable jury would find him guilty.

      1. Just because she had multiple sexual partners does not take away from the vast amount of evidence against Clay. Clay is as guilty as sin and he was correctly found guilty by a jury of his peers. That’s why he lost all his appeals, it has been determined they made the fight judgement. Stop believing this murderer and victim blaming nonsense.

      2. I haven’t found any evidence that she was sleeping with 7 other men, just that she was talking to them online. So how do you know this and where did you find that information?

  29. I just saw this show and lack of evidence and so many other pieces that weren’t allowed for the jury to hear is nonsense. I rarely feel I read and study a case and disagree, but this was the worst I’ve seen. There was so much reasonable doubt and not real evidence, the verdict is a joke. When you have adult children knowing their own father and multiple random men involved.. it’s just insane to me anyone convicted him. The fact there was an unknown male DNA sample and none of his on the cell phone proved his innocence in that instance. A horrible case of injustice which happens everyday. I pray for the kids and hopefully project innocence can look into this.

    1. Moral of the story: if you have a spouse or ex that is soliciting casual sex over the internet, get far far away… move to a different state – because they are casting boulders in a pond that could drown anyone in their orbit.

      Based on what I just saw on Dateline, the prosecution failed to prove their case. Chanin’s family and friends celebrated the verdict because “we believe he did it”. But it isn’t about what you believe, it is about what you can prove. Even those in Chanin’s court must admit (if they’re being honest), that the case against Clay was NOT proven beyond a _reasonable_ doubt. And isn’t that suppose to be the point of our system of justice!? Washington state owed Clay and his children a more competent and thorough investigation, and a fairer trail.

      IMO, Clay’s case demonstrates the latest in a dangerous trend in our justice system of “conviction by process of elimination”. Where someone is convicted, not because law enforcement did their job and proved their guilt by a preponderance of the evidence – but because “they are the only man left standing”, as the Dateline episode said of Clay. Yet in this case, it was far worse, because they did a piss poor job of “process of elimination”. There’s unknown male DNA on Chanin’s neck and cell phone, and what… they’re really willing to overlook that!? Where was the follow-up from law enforcement!? That is inexcusable to me. To my mind, that’s reasonable doubt right there!

      Then, in court, the lawyers try to make the point that a case based on “conviction by process of elimination”, didn’t eliminate much at all – considering at least 10 online dates (in November alone) and 1 serial killer were never even vetted!? Really? And the judge strikes that down!? IMO, that was the judge shielding law enforcement, by telling the jury they were not allowed to know or consider how the defendant was robbed of a full and fair investigation that might have proven his innocence.

      Clay was convicted on the strength of a camera he didn’t walk past. Meanwhile, unknown male DNA is a “who cares”?? Jesus.. If that level of incompetency is all they need to convict, then God help us all, should you or I be the ones standing accused one day.

      1. It isn’t about what you believe, it’s about what you can prove. Think about what you just typed. Seems 12 people and the court of appeals felt there was proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Did you examine the entire trial transcript and review all of the evidence or are you just basing your opinion on a true crime tv show that only shows a fraction of what happens in said case/trial?

        1. My “it isn’t about what you believe” comment was not directed at the jury. It was directed at the aggrieved (Chanin’s family and friends) and how they responded to issues of irregularities brought up by the TV interviewer. Saying (effectively) “well, the verdict is right because we believe he did it” despite the problems, irregularities and court omissions in the case is wrong-headed. You don’t excuse an unfair trial because you liked its outcome…. that’s like saying, its fine to deny a man a thorough investigation and a fair trail, as long as my aggrieved “belief” (ie. bias) is confirmed.

        1. Sassie,
          If you had read through some of this that you are commenting on, you might figure out that there is more information than your quick overview could possibly determine.

          Who said 7 other men?

          Defense attorneys said upwards of a dozen that they found right away and then the state silenced the probative evidence by negotiating pre-trial motions with the judge. They knew it would kill their case. Defense attorney didn’t know enough to properly argue / challenge.

          DNA isn’t a match.

          There were 3 unidentified male DNA on the limited evidence sampled, yet Detective Ricketts incorrectly stated that it was a match.

          DNA was not under her fingernails; mixed DNA such as multiple unidentified profile(s) per sample should not be pursued or permitted in a court of law (again, motions should have been filed but were not), must be stopped via motions as per DNA for the Defense Bar 2012.

          Don’t you think that the email from D. Williams to Chanin three days before her death offering multiple partners including choking, should have been included as material to trial defense?

          That’s how you get wrongful convictions.

          Kathy

  30. Clay Duain Starbuck will never see light of day as long as I am ALIVE. This Murderer is exactly where he needs to be. The most searched things on my computer is anything clay starbuck the Murderer related. My mission is to keep CHANIN’S Murder where he belongs.

    1. Agree.
      I’ve watched this episode a few times.
      I wanted to believe him. He is one angry individual. Clay who helped you kill Chanin? You thought having “other” male DNA would keep you out of prison. You lied and got caught. A sociopath and a narcissist who was so arrogant on DL saying you’ll be free bc you had help to confuse investigators and throw them off your scent.

      Your comments about your ex-wife also give you away. If it didn’t bother you and you really wanted to “help” her you wouldn’t want the mother of your children embarrassed that way. You manipulated your kids to believe she was the bad parent. Chanin was an abused woman and she knew you would kill her. Enough said. Sell your garbage arguments and poor you stories to someone else. Narcissists and sociopaths as arrogant as you are play the victim card when they’re caught. Man up and admit it. I don’t like liars. That goes a million time for murderers. Please! Your car broke down the day she died.
      Seriously ?

      1. Same thoughts. And his overly explaining irrelevant details to muddy the waters is quite obvious when asked hard hitting questions.

      2. I wanted to believe him, too. I did the first two times I watched this episode. Then, I did some digging. The DL episode has now aired many times. Each time I see more and more why Clay did this and I wonder who else helped him. Then, I noticed that Chanin’s mother said that exact thing.

        This site alone is evidence of how controlling Clay is. He wants to control all communication on this case.

        I did believe him at first w a few doubts. I really didn’t want it to be Clay. The real evidence is irrefutable.
        The jury wasn’t out long. All appeals have been exhausted and no innocence project will take on this case.

        The acrimonious insults by Kathy and Clay of all who disagree with them and the animosity they show and what we saw on DL as to Clay’s rage — it is the final nail in his coffin.

        If Clay has stayed quiet he’d be better off. He thinks he’s so smart. He had to testify, just as he kept talking to homicide detectives trying to control the investigation. I really wanted to believe he knew that Chanin’s computer would help find the real killer. That wasn’t it. Clay wanted to control and steer the investigation away from himself since he had two others with him to kill Chanin. He thought he was so smart and that he’d fool police. That’s where the arrogance of thinking he’d be freed originated.

        Watching a tv show such as DL isn’t enough to judge. The jury sat through a trial and saw evidence. Who else would beat Chanin like that bc he was enraged. It’s not from online dating.

        Also, Chanin had many dates that didn’t include sex. Clay, already humiliated her when he killed her and he continued to do so. He also, brainwashed his children bc he’s a narcissistic sociopath and very abusive. Clay couldn’t believe he didn’t fool the police by having other unknown dna on Chanin.

        1. “Then I did some digging.”

          Excellent! Then you won’t mind if I assist from the digging that I have also done.

          “The real evidence is irrefutable.”

          What is that, exactly?

          It’s irrefutable all right and you wouldn’t say such ridiculous things about such a serious matter if you had done your homework.

          You give Clay an awful lot of power…control the investigation, rage filled, brainwash children, very abusive. You are a sick individual to say those things about someone you’ve never met and don’t know, but thanks for your perspective from the digging that you have done yourself.

          Prosecution knew facts that they kept out of trial by way of Pretrial Motions, which kept Clay from being able to defend himself. That’s the way it works. The jury is given facts managed by Prosecution so that they can control the outcome

          Foolishly, I thought the court would sort through facts and land on the truth

          In reality, attorney’s are more concerned about getting that conviction and appearing competent in protecting the public, than convicting the right person for such a crime as you might expect.

          You stated that “Chanin had many dates that didn’t include sex.”

          Are you speaking from experience or just making that up based on what someone else said

          Clay wasn’t there. So basically everything you stated is factually incorrect.

          1. OK then why did Clay have to go to the back doctor the day after he murdered Chanin? He may not have had a scratch on him but there was enough DNA under Chanin’s finger nails to prove that clay was there.

  31. With Chanin’s risky lifestyle I have no doubts that she would be extremely vulnerable to a serial killer’s predations. Especially when visiting unknown men, sometime sex workers ignore warning signs out of desperation. Chanin was no exception, and it ended badly. If this unknown DNA strand points toward a serial killer who has targeted vulnerable women in the past then this piece shouldn’t have been ignored as it may be key to solving murders and cases of missing women.

  32. Notebook opened. Taking notes. Thanks for the valuable post. I wish more people would talk about this subject as in depth as you.

  33. Sadly he did this 100 percent but what choice do the kids have but believe. If they would accept the truth then that’s heartache they probably can’t take. The guy set his kids up to blaming her probably over years. Telling them she’s sleeping around etc

  34. The way I read it was this. Yes there was other DNA in the house and even on intimate items. They could have spent lots and lots of money naming everyone, but they decided to focus on the key point. That key point is “where was the crime committed?” Just because someone touched a glass 8 months previous and never came back, doesn’t make sense that they are the killer. The crime was committed ON Chanin. Any what did they find ON her? Starbuck male DNA. Correct, they couldn’t name Clay specifically, but the other male contributors had alibi’s. Austin, Blake and even Drew. Clay’s alibi was at first, “I walked 4 times this path.” When he found out there was a camera, he changed his story to “walking the golf course”. Don’t fool yourself. That path was not all pleasant trimmed manicured lawn. There were weeds that would have been in his direct path. Some as high as his knees. That day in December was extremely cold. No snow on the ground, but a nice sidewalk verses tall weeds? That is his “changed” alibi. He did admit to walking in front of the camera, but then changed. His phone just happened to be turned off during the entire ordeal, which is just “coincidence”? Everything that I see doesn’t take his DNA off of her nor does he have a solid alibi. To me this is guilt.

    1. Grass doesn’t generally grow knee high on a golf course during sub-zero temperatures in December.

      You made up so much crap I can’t even take you seriously.

      Then I have to remember where you are pulling information from. Still not becoming of you.

      1. I didn’t say grass, I said weeds. I was living in Deer Park when she was murdered. I walked the area and have played golf at the course many times. I saw the home where the camera was, to which he said he walked four times that day. He said that on 2 different occasions while driving the route he said he took, with the detectives in the car. They did not drive in the weeds, because he never said he walked there. It wasn’t until they revealed that a camera was on the path, that he changed his path/story.
        I also find it interesting that Clay said that he was a kind person and didn’t get angry. I thought it was interesting that near the closing of the prosecutions case, they showed a text message from Clay to Chanin (which I believe was in September, 3 months before her murder). The text, in which it was related to money, he said: “You stupid bit..” I’m sure the jurors took that as a true feeling he had towards her, despite his words to the contrary.
        I have never heard this from anyone, but the time Clay had with the deceased was hours that morning and in to the afternoon. Time to wash the scene. I’m sure he would recall conversations that he had with your father, who was a retired police officer, on what they had to do to crime scenes. The bathroom was extensively cleaned, according to reports.
        These other comments saying it could be this other person, in these conversations, would know Marshall’s nickname (Marsh). Right. An unknown murderer would, one: take the time to text people in conversations with Chanin that day. two: obviously care that Loghan would get picked up.
        And it is still very interesting that Clay’s cell phone was turned off and on, within minutes of the 911 call and the texts messages regarding kids getting picked up at school. All others suspects alibi’s checked out. Clay’s, in my mind, was weak. I also find it very interesting that during the trial, he would say, “I don’t remember” soooo many times. Yet, during this pages comments, he can recall details of astounding magnitude. I wish he would stop dragging his family along, admit it, and let them go on with their lives. But yet, here we are. Sad.

        1. I didn’t say grass, I said weeds. (I stand corrected…weeds it is. There are no knee high weeds or grass along the dirt walk path. It was frozen, laid over at best.)

          I was living in Deer Park when she was murdered. I walked the area and have played golf at the course many times. I saw the home where the camera was, to which he said he walked four times that day. He said that on 2 different occasions while driving the route he said he took (the route THEY said he took), with the detectives in the car. They did not drive in the weeds, because he never said he walked there. It wasn’t until they revealed (you mean they noticed) that a camera was on the path, that he (they) changed his (their) path/story (should be to fit their new theory. Ah ha! Police report states the SCSO found a camera which would have had to have been the way he walked.).

          I also find it interesting that Clay said that he was a kind person and didn’t get angry. I thought it was interesting that near the closing of the prosecutions case, they showed a text message from Clay to Chanin (which I believe was in September, 3 months before her murder). The text, in which it was related to money, he said: “You stupid bit..” I’m sure the jurors took that as a true feeling he had towards her, despite his words to the contrary. (So you are saying it makes sense to convict an innocent person and take him from five children, because of 3 words he said the summer prior? Wow.)

          I have never heard this from anyone, but the time Clay had with the deceased was hours that morning and in to the afternoon. Time to wash the scene. I’m sure he would recall c I onversations that he had with your father, who was a retired police officer, on what they had to do to crime scenes. The bathroom was extensively cleaned, according to reports. (No, our father is not a retired law enforcement officer.)

          These other comments saying it could be this other person, in these conversations, would know Marshall’s nickname (Marsh). (I know, that’s a tough one to figure out! To think that Clay is the only one who could text the kids, is ridiculous. There is unidentified male DNA on Chanin’s phone, not Clay) Right. An unknown murderer would, one: take the time to text people in conversations with Chanin that day. two: obviously care that Loghan would get picked up. (Can’t really help you there. It wasn’t Clay, so it was someone else).

          And it is still very interesting that Clay’s cell phone was turned off and on, within minutes of the 911 call and the texts messages regarding kids getting picked up at school. All others suspects alibi’s checked out. (The phone wasn’t turned off, it lost charge and he didn’t have anything going on and the kids were in school so it didn’t matter. He could charge it later.) Clay’s, in my mind, was weak. I also find it very interesting that during the trial, he would say, “I don’t remember” soooo many times. Yet, during this pages comments, he can recall details of astounding magnitude. I wish he would stop dragging his family along, admit it, and let them go on with their lives. But yet, here we are. Sad. (You say and do what the attorneys instruct. The rodeo is not yours, even though it’s your life and on your behalf. It’s quite a show.)

          Your comments are twisting around like you are a new SCSO detective in training. Your statements that you put in quotes do not mean they are actual quotes. You still made these up. Seeing the house where the camera is does not make you an expert of anything. You do not understand how trials are conducted or understand rules of evidence. Clay sure did not! The phone, the camera…none of what you are saying has merit.

            1. An accurate and thorough investigation continues with desired results. Thank you for following our case and we are hopeful well have updates soon.

          1. This is a quote from court documents: “At trial, defendant did not deny the detectives’ testimony about the ride-along and interviews wherein he said that he walked a specific route to and from his broken-down vehicle to his home. Instead, defendant claimed that the detectives had not told him that they were checking out his alibi. RP 2615-2616” I’m sorry. In court he never denied talking to the detectives and said he walked the path that he showed them. It was after, I think one of his family members, stated that he took a shortcut through the golf course. According to records of all the court documents, this is what he said. I did notice in his appeal by Attorney Elliott, she didn’t even mention that path, because she couldn’t! The change occurred after the court, so all the documents state, to which Clay was there himself, that he walked the path, twice, that he showed the detectives in front of the camera. He wasn’t, and no one matching his description, walked four times in front of the camera that day!! If in court, he stated he walked a different path, then that would be something Elliott could take to the bank and file as a true alibi! BUT HE DIDN’T. HIS OWN DEFENSE ATTORNEYS CAN’T EVEN USE THAT AGAINST THE STATE, BECAUSE HE ADMITTED, IN COURT, HE WALKED FOUR TIMES IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA!! I don’t know why this is such a hard thing to understand and the reason he is guilty.

  35. Hi, a teammate in my FB mastermind shared this site with all of us so I came to give it a look.

    I’m definitely loving the information, thanks.

  36. it angers me when prosecutors take the evidence and manipulated to fit their scenario. There was so much evidence that was not followed up on that could prove his innocence. I would hope that there would be a new trial granted to include the evidence that was not follow up on. Someone needs to actively pursue the DNA evidence found on the phone and other places to find out who it belongs to. There are so many innocent people imprisoned because law enforcement and prosecution does not have the guts to admit when they are wrong.

  37. Another question I have is this, the DNA expert says that Starbuck male DNA was found in three locations on her body. Fingernails, neck and mouth. There was other male DNA that was untested on her as well. Knowing that the two other males, Kenlein and Walker had recent interactions with Chanin, why was their DNA NOT found on her, when you assume it should be, based upon their current relationships? Clay states he wasn’t in that bed for over two years but yet Starbuck DNA ends up on Chanin. Kenlein and Walker were on the same bed (assumption) within a matter of days of the murder, yet none of their DNA was found. That seems odd and goes against logic. The interesting thing is that the unknown male DNA still did not take the Starbuck DNA off of her body. Unless Clay committed the crime with another male person (unknown DNA). If so, what is his name? He needs to be brought to trial as well.

    1. No body is trashing Chanin’s character. Clay loved her very much and so do the kids.
      If you take it any differently than that, you aren’t paying attention.
      Facts are facts, which authorities ignored in order to make you feel warm & fuzzy about it.
      It worked for the jury as well.

      Community feels “safe”…and SHOULDN’T!!
      You should be ashamed of the authorities that handled this case…as lying to the family, media, public, other officials, AND THE JURORS in order to convict an innocent man IS WRONG ON EVERY LEVEL.

      See Starbuck Family – Free Clay on Facebook for more details into the farce SCSO called a thorough murder investigation.
      They could have at least been honest with the family, but they weren’t.
      Very sad. It could easily happen to your family as it did ours.

      1. Give it up. Clay is guilty. Period. He is where he belongs. I’ve not read a single nice thing about Channin come from Clay. He repeats and repeats and repeats, basically, that she was a ‘Hoar’. Proof that he couldn’t let it go then, that she had moved on and proof that he still, TO THIS VERY DAY, will not let go of the intense jealousy that drove him to plan and murder her. He needs to man up and admit that he left his kids without a mother AND a father.

        1. I disagree. Many many times Clay states he and the children loved her, but, she was putting those children and Clay himself in extreme danger with her hidden shenanigans. If innocent, which I can’t determine yet, he did the best he could for a lot longer than I would have. Her own kids saw these perverts coming out of her bedroom. She fooled everyone but her family. It looks like she was a master manipulator and maybe a narcissist. A narcissist puts themself first despite how much they love others.

    2. The truth is not good or bad. It is just the truth. The fact that it reflects poorly on the victim is an indictment on her lifestyle choices, not the person reporting the truth. As far as I can determine, Clay’s critique of law enforcement, witnesses and his trial attorney are spot on. I understand an attorney’s reluctance to object to every inaccuracy in trial testimony. However, this was a fricking murder trial, not a duo trial. Every bit of inaccurate evidence matters, especially not knowing which material fact will convince a juror one way or another. His trial attorney was deficient. In over his head I think. Public defenders can be good trial advocates, or not. Clay would have been better served, it turns out, by representing himself. I do not know if he killed Chanin. I do believe he was denied a fair trial. Moreover, if his critique is accurate, then he never should have been brought to trial.

  38. I’ve been following this for many years now. My questions are:
    1. At the trial the detectives said you got in their car and drove the route you said you drove, where you broke down, and where you walked home. They then went back and investigated the route and found a camera along the route. They found out the recording was still there. They watched the recording and waited to see you walk in front of the camera. They then came and got you and you drove in their car a second time and asked for you to show them the route a second time. Supposedly you did on a certain date and time, according to the report, and you showed them the same route, which has you walking past the house with the camera on 6th Ave. They looked at the tape and did not see anyone who fit your description, who should have walked in front the camera 4 times on December 1st. This is your only alibi to show you were not in her house?
    “At trial, defendant did not deny the detectives’ testimony about the ride-along and interviews wherein he said that he walked a specific route to and from his broken-down vehicle to his home. Instead, defendant claimed that the detectives had not told him that they were checking out his alibi. RP2615-2616 Defendant was confronted with his own statements to the investigators about his activities on the December 1, 2011, and the fact that he did not appear on the neighbor’s surveillance video that was on the route he said he took. RP 2613.”
    Now you are stating you didn’t walk in front of the house with the camera, but you said you did in court?
    2. You are stating Israel Keyes could be a suspect in her murder? Her phone sent a text @ 1:17 pm to Kenlein: “No tonight I hav a headache and I will have clay take the kids” If that is correct, how would he know the name “clay” in a text that was sent obviously by the killer and his name did not appear in any pre-murder texts or information? Meaning she was not dating him.
    3. “Throughout the trial, the defense focused the jury on what items of evidence the Sheriff’s Office did not collect or have tested. The defense focused the jury on the activities of the other name suspects, Mr. Walker and Mr. Kenlein. The defense extensively cross-examined Mr. Walker and Mr.Kenlein about the nature of their relationships with Ms. Starbuck. The cross-examination of the “other suspects” included the facts that they met online and that relationships were exclusively sexual in nature. The addition of sexually explicit texts would have been, at best, cumulative since the authors of those texts admitted the nature of their relationships with the victim. The defense created a trial record sufficient for the jury to accept its case theory, yet the jury applied the law to the evidence and found the defense theory wanting. In the final analysis, the defense could not negate the fact that Mr. Starbuck’s DNA was found on the deceased victim’s body. The defendant’s DNA was a “match” to the DNA found on Chanin Starbuck’s neck where the Medical Examiner concluded that the manner of homicide had been perpetrated. The trial court’s rulings and the record establish that the defendant was not deprived of the right to present a defense.” Would it be safe to say Starbuck male DNA was found under her left fingernails, neck and mouth? You claim that your DNA was on that bed because you had lived there, albeit two years earlier. Your attorney asked the DNA expert if that was possible. She said yes, only if the bedding was never washed in two years. Does that seem plausible?
    4. Doesn’t it seem awfully suspicious that your cell phone was coincidentally turned off from 8:08 am to 3:37 pm?

    Looking forward to your comments. Thanks.

        1. John Charlton was in Spokane and king county in 2011. Convicted of using. pruning shears to cut up a mother of 3 nurse he met online into pieces pitting her body parts all around king county. Test the other DNA and sperm. At least to eliminate a possible killer.

  39. From a real Christian not a part of any Mormon cult or even a fundamentalist Phairresse lessons loss so called Christian, I can say with complete objectivity that it seems like his supporters believe that Chanin deserved to be murder because she was active sexually outside marriage. That is it in a nutshell. Thank God this is illegal in our country:)

    Heart goes out to all that love & mourn Ms. Chanin…

    1. Her sex life was putting their minor children at risk. A mother’s or father’s first priority is to provide a safe nurturing environment for children. She did not. Yes, it means a parent cannot let their libido take precedence. She did.

  40. I knew Chanin briefly before she was murdered. I was among the men she dated the month before she died. We shared lunch once, and went to an art museum on another occasion. And we never had sex. Just a couple of nice times talking and eating and looking at paintings. Mostly we talked about our respective children, and our failed marriages. I never met Clay, but Chanin certainly feared him. She explicitly said she thought he would harm her, and she related numerous stories about the ways he controlled her and manipulated the children. I believe everything she told me, as she struck me as a lady of the finest caliber. Smart, artistic, articulate, a devoted mother, and so very much wanting to establish her own independent life. She had absolutely beautiful eyes like I’ve never before seen, and never will forget as long as I live. Some people paint her as a harlot. But I was one of her allegedly numerous online acquaintances, and never in my experience did she behave as anything other than a beautiful, classy lady. And I treated her respectfully, as a grown gentleman should. Granted, I only know what Chanin revealed of herself to me over a very short time. I am extremely sad that she was murdered, and suffered as she did when she was attacked. I also feel very sad for her five children, whom I know she loved more than anything in this world. Chanin was a beautiful person inside and out. Anyone who says otherwise couldn’t have personally known her. Rest in peace, Chanin.

    1. Women are so good at aging the victim for sympathy and compassion and a shoulder. We don’t want to feel alone or like a failure! Of course she said she feared for her life, but why were the kids ok to be with him a snack why did he still help her when she needed and why could he come to her house to pick them up! It’s so tragic that it all ended this way, nobody should leave this Earth too early! It saddens me to no end but to pin it on someone so close and to not have any evidence to back it being the kids only living parent is out of this world wrong!

      1. You obviously have never been in a an abusive relationship or have never had a dysfunctional child custody situation. To not take into account at all the likelihood that this “man” could is lying about most of the nice things he did for his ex and pulling the wool over the eyes of his children to win them to his side and blame their mother, the victim of this horrible crime? This happens everyday all over the world. Shame on you and on Clay for not admitting his guilt to his his children and causing them to face the burden of fighting for his appeals.

    2. Thank you Bebop, for coming forward with your knowledge of Chanin. If Clay wasn’t controlling, why did he install spyware on Chanin’s computer? Why was his cell phone conveniently turned off during the period of time Chanin was tortured and murdered? Obviously he was jealous, and the time he spent perusing her PRIVATE emails and seeing how many other men were interested in this beautiful woman, kept adding to that jealousy, possibly to the point of uncontrollable rage, after she told him she had a lunch date the day she died. I know how men who need complete control are, Clay shows many signs of being such a man. I also know what these controlling men are capable of, the fear they instill and how easily they portray themselves as the innocent, caring and “harmed” party. I was fortunate, I got out alive, poor Chanin did not. If you’ve not been in the victims “shoes”, you have no idea how terrifying it is and how desperately you want your life to change, to find stability, love, companionship and SAFETY. The only way you can protect yourself is to “play nice” with the abuser, as Chanin seemed to be doing with Clay, If Chanin had become seriously involved with one man, she would have been criticized for “jumping” into another relationship so soon. Since she choose to explore her options by meeting more than one person and getting to know them, she’s called a “harlot”. I don’t know what kind of “dates” some of you who criticize her go on, perhaps YOU are the ones who are “harlots”. I went on dates, sometimes 1 is all it takes to know this isn’t someone you want to be around. Sometimes 2 dates or even 3, movies, dinner and lots of talking, it’s how you get to know someone. Some people will find fault in you, no matter what you do. As far as the children, they are so easily influenced by a parent, he wouldn’t have shown that part of himself in front of them, that’s how a “controller” works, they hide it from everyone except the one they need to control. The fact that the children support him is not an indication he is innocent, it’s an indication they love him and believe in him. I’m so sorry the children had to go through this horror and have lost both their parents in such a terrible way. But please, stop demonizing Chanin, she is dead, and unable to defend herself!

      1. I doubt Bebop is someone who actually dated her because he would have testified or came forward! This case is full of an lack of investigation…… you cannot compartmentalize your life even though people try. Chanin online life became her reality and nobody knows how relationships are behind closed doors, women aren’t angel and neither are men. The internet is a dangerous place and I think the kids opinions should have held more weight because they were witnesses to their entire relationship, honestly I hope Clay gets out and keeps appealing so the real evidence can get in.

  41. I have never wavered since this horrible murder in my mind and in my heart from day one, and Clay will have been in prison 7 long years in February that he is innocent and had a very unfair trial. Spokane is know for their dishonest tactics. Clays youngest just turned 18 and talked with his dad. This is cruel and inhuman treatment to keep children from their father. He tried numerous times to make his marriage successful because he loved Chanin and his children needed their Mother.
    Please help get this man justice. Clays family and friends have not stopped in these 7 years getting the information and proof needed to free Clay. Thank you

  42. Clay Is Innocent Beyond Belief! I Can’t Wait For Justice ! The Kids Need Their Dad ! Not Fair To Lose Both Parents ! Stay Strong Clay!

  43. Hello,
    I saw that case in German TV called TLC Crime. Sometimes I google cases, because I dont believe all and now I come to this site. There was not much evidence about Clay. But what would be interested to me is, did the police checked his car about that issue this morning? Maybe I overread that. Was the car broken or not?

  44. I really feel for this guy. I spent a long time in prison and have had many cellmate. Most were murders. I say that because I’ve always found the act of murder takes a different type of person. So I asked a great deal of questions. Basically I was studying to learn what type of person does this. After 11 years with these people I’ve become a great profiler, I can pick out a killer or rapist with in the first 30 minutes of talking to them. This guy (clay) is not a killer. He was give this by his ex-wife and her alter-ego. It’s a deflection. Have You ever considered a polygraph test? I bet I could get him back in court. I believe his constitutional rights have been violated. The DNA issue should of been challenged on the fact none was available to have an independent analysis done. Plus, the attorney at trial should have just said something in front of the jury about all the sexual escapades. Take the “objection” and Stern warning from the judge. Keeping in mind, you can’t unring a bell.

  45. I believe he is innocent. I was once married to a woman like that. As I watched dateline about this story, I was reminded of the hell that I myself was put through by my exwife. Every time she involved the police, I was looked at by the police, judge, and court system, like I was a worthless piece of crap. Innocent until proven guilty, does not exist. You are automatically guilty, and you better be able to prove yourself innocent. My exwifes friends and family said all the same garbage about me, that Chanins friends and family said about Clay. I am thankful that my ex and I live several states apart. My kids are all grown. ( I raised them by my self, with no help or support from her). I hope and pray that Clay gets his new trial, and is properly released. He and his children deserve his freedom.

  46. 1. Did Clay loan Chanin a hand gun just a few weeks prior to the murder? If yes, why?
    2. IF Clay was working on his car, it’s impossible that there is not one single witness to account for it on 12/1. So what gives?
    3. Why would Clay, a dad with a slew of kids and a broken down car, shut his phone off from 8:30a-4p-ish on the 12/1 in question?
    4. Was Chanin’s car in her garage at 10:30a on 12/1 or was her car not at her home during this time? (pervert who knocked on her door for sex said her car wasn’t there)
    5. Why haven’t the family members of Clay started a Go Fund Me Page and hired a private investigator and/or to have all of the evidence that remains untested, finally tested?
    6. Did Clay have ANY marks or scratches on him post 12/1 or not? (Conflicting reports on this)
    7. Where is the security video that Chanin had installed? Never found? No Cloud storage?
    8. Did Clay know Chanin had security video installed? I thought Chanin installed the system to catch him (Clay) in her house? Wasn’t it hidden? Wouldn’t that conclude that whoever ripped it out knew it’s whereabouts/existence?
    Beats me if Clay is guilty or not, but I read enough about this case to know the prosecution has improperly embellished, meritless lies against Clay. Also, I know that a “good mother” doesn’t “newly find herself” by making a hobby out of sleeping with massive amounts of strange men nor does she refuse her children a key to get into their own home for any reason. Chanin should have feared STDs nearly as much as she claimed to be afraid of Clay.
    Lastly, the court of appeals stated, that obnoxious amounts of strange men, inserting themselves into every crevice of Chanins body is not evidence enough to meet third party rules as a matter of Clay’s defense…that being said, there is no correlation between Clay telling anyone who would listen about his ex wife’s whore activities and the fact that she died like one, but they used that to the hills during trial to convict him.
    For the simple minded, it’s comparable to telling everyone about a drug addict that is going to eventually die of an overdose and then that person eventually dies of an overdose. That doesn’t mean the person who wouldn’t stfu about it killed the addict. It means that someone is/was very worried and wished the dangerous activity would cease as to avoid the obvious, looming outcome.

    1. I asked Clay to respond to your questions, Angie.
      Mitchell was kind enough to incorporate Clay’s responses above.
      Thank you.
      Kathy Starbuck Nasholm

      1. Thank you. I appreciate receiving the answers to my questions.
        I’m wondering if the television channel “Investigative Discovery” can be held accountable for airing the events of this story inaccurately? Perhaps there is another television producer that is interested in airing the events competently?
        Also, I’m hopeful that someone in Clay’s family who has access to the numerous names of the men Chanin slutted for is keeping tabs on similar murdeorus activity across the country, in the hopeful event that a connection to one of those names can be made to another murder.

  47. I really enjoyed the article and after watching NBC’s Dateline program this morning, I am absolutely convinced that the guilty verdict is a grave miscarriage of justice. Chanin was es a promiscuous woman whom I would classify as a prostitute. Her lifestyle was abhorrent and she was neglecting her 3 youngest children.
    Most compelling In terms of exculpatory evidence was the absence of a legally admissible DNA match. Also, the presence of additional male DNA is more than sufficient to provide reasonable doubt.
    This conviction is tragic in my opinion. The man is not guilty. Hopefully he will be exonerated as he pursues additional appeals.

    1. That’s a pretty harsh statement to make about a woman who was brutally murdered. Makes me wonder what kind of person you are & what you’re capable of.

  48. I worked with and new clay for many years in Alaska. After I left AK we stayed in contact as we became close friends. I never saw or heard of clay doing anything outside of his marriage. He is one of those people that would do anything for a friend. I trust him and wholeheartedly believe in his innocence.

      1. Why? Doesn’t the family need to contact the innocence project and not complete strangers, or does it help if anyone requests their help?

        Thanks!

  49. There is so much that this article has left out. My daughter and I spoke every day sometimes more than twice a day. She had told me the evil things that clay was doing not only sleeping around during their marriage but mean things to the children. One thing this article does not include is that my daughter never slept around during the marriage. What broke their marriage up twice and the final time was that clay was sleeping around. Sleeping with anyone with a skirt. Please don’t forget there’s always two sides to a story. Clay Duane Starbuck is where he needs to be. He is where he needs to be to protect the public from him.

    1. Do you think because he was an adultery he is a murderer. I knew clay back in Valdez. I did know he was a womanizer but I was shocked to here the murder trial news. It’s just awful.

    2. With all due respect, you have made these claims a lot, including in the pre-trial investigation, however, you have never once shared an example nor proved anything you claim and considering Chanin’s escapades, Clay cheating hardly qualifies as to the extreme accusations you elude to. Chanin called you twice a day…ya so? How mean could Clay have been considering the kids chose him over her even when she was alive and he’s the one who crawled out of bed every morning to take his kids to school!!

    3. It has never been proven that Clay slept around during the marriage, but there is little doubt that Chanin had been with many men afterwards and according to her children, even during the marriage.

      Unknown Male DNA on your daughters phone and neck was proven by the Prosecution’s DNA expert at trial. I am unsure about the Unknown DNA found vaginally. But that alone, PROVED to me and so many others who watched, that another male was with Chanin around the time of her death. That alone should have led any responsible, intelligent and or knowledgeable Juror, to have found Clay Starbuck not guilty due to Reasonable Doubt.

      As a mother, I would want to know who belonged to that Unknown DNA. It is sad that the so called investigators did not even look into All of the men Chanin was “with” in the weeks and months, before her murder, according her laptop and dating websites. The laptop information was not admitted during trial, but if the men on it had been ruled out, it would not have been an issue. But the investigators had only 1 man on the radar. Doesn’t it concern you that there is the possibility of an unknown man out there, who may have killed your daughter. No, because you will not even consider the unknown DNA on your daughter. Even Chanin’s own children say she was with several men and led a double, even triple life.

      It is sad that you lost your daughter and may have lost your grandchildren, because of the blinders on the investigators, not to mention you and your family. RIP Chanin.

    4. If she called you twice a day then why didn’t you think something was up when you hadn’t heard from her! And no where in your comment does it say she feared for her life and for the children’s safety because he was such a bad person capable of murder!
      He deserves a fair trial! The kids deserve their father!

      1. The kids deserve their mother! And Amanda unless you shared their bed, how the heck do you know anything? You sound like a crazy witch.

    5. M. Bourcier: I am so sorry your daughter had to go through what she did. I read Clay’s “answers” to people’s questions. What I see is that he obviously was spying on Chanin, as indicated by the spyware he put on her computer, he seems to know way too much about things that wouldn’t concern him, since they were divorced. He has specifics about emails and texts, times, dates, as though he might have been writing a journal, to place where he hoped authorities would find it, to try to substantiate the lies he was telling. What I see in his answers is a very angry, resentful, liar, abuser, he is upset he got caught, further upset that he can’t convince the powers that be to believe his lies, a liar who can’t convince others he is telling the truth, gets desperate. He sounds very desperate in his responses. He is angry she had the gall to leave him, this time for good. He takes partial truths and ridiculously embellishes them in an effort to make himself sound like the “good, concerned” party, but ends up making them sound unbelievable, and with Chanin gone, she can’t dispute his so called “facts”. Children will eventually answer repeated questions about the other parent, it sounds like he kept trying to get information from them until they said something, whether true or not, so he would stop asking, probably very leading questions. It’s common for divorced spouses to use the children to spy on each other. His statements are so full of hatred for Chanin, reading them makes the case for upholding the conviction even stronger.

      1. Susan M Anderson… you sure speak like you know Clay. Do you know him? I do know him and I know that he would NEVER murder Chanin! He is one of the nicest guys I know and he would NEVER do that! If he would have gotten a fair trial and all of the evidence and information would have been allowed during the trial he would have been set free and be home with his family where he should be. It is pretty sad that you made assumptions based on your past experience that Clay is a murderer. If you knew him you would believe in his innocence. Maybe you need to think before you comment next time.

    6. You are full of shit, Melanie!
      What was left out from this article that needs to be covered? That you spoke with your daughter once or twice a day? Can you explain how that relates to who is responsible for this because I’m struggling to connect anything you have said with the issue at hand… When I ask you, “what was left out” that is me literally challenging you to specifically provide information that you have always sworn to but has never been actually mentioned. You’ve consistently proven to be a dishonest and unreliable source of information. Stick to the paper, Melanie. You make false statements followed by unrelated information that normally ends with you bringing attention to your unstable emotions. You have been screwing things up from day one!

      You told Detective Ricketts you initially suspected there were two suspects (documented). Then you got on the news telling the community when you called your daughter and the phone went to voicemail you knew, at that point, without a doubt that Clay had killed her. The records show it all. Explain how an unanswered phone call going to a full voicemail translates to – “Clay killed Chanin”. Any information you offered has been anything but helpful in the investigation to find who killed my mom. Tell us why that is, please? Why can’t you give truthful information? Remember the things Clay has done for you? Moving you to Alaska on his dime, driving your car from Florida to Alaska, offering his home to you, and now you lie to say how dangerous he is? Why do your comments always lack truth to discredit Clay, and not give relevant information that would aid in a thorough investigation? Your focus was so set on Clay with ZERO facts to support your suggestion when it should have been on the investigation to seek the killer. You failed. Hard.

      You also told Ricketts that (MS) was a product of Clay raping Chanin. That is so far from true! Why did she marry him a second time? Why was there no tension when all seven of us came to Florida for two weeks in December of 2007? That was on Clay’s dime and happened because you only came to visit us when Clay was saving you from issues in your life and moved you in our house or when he otherwise paid for it? Why did my mom never call you to bail her out when she found herself with us three children in a dangerous situation after moving from Alaska to the lower 48 to attempt a relationship with a man she met online? I watched Mark beat my two siblings to the point I was too young and scared to speak up. Chanin called Clay to save us from that situation and it wasn’t the only time. She didn’t call you! The other time was when she got pregnant with (MS), and you now know that to be true now because of DNA results in this investigation. So, you were lying, or your daughter never disclosed the facts of the situation with you. Either answer does nothing but diminishes the reliability of anything you say. If you lied I hope you felt it was worth it, because it likely had a good part in diverting off the investigation of your daughters’ murder away from the evidence, and further victimized your five grandchildren, and jailed an innocent man. If my mom didn’t give you the details about who the father of (MS) was then we can address that upon your anticipated response. It is unnecessary to discuss unless you claim that to be the reason your statements are so far off. I would remind you that the only time she was at risk of sexual assault was in the presence of your ex-husband. She told you of the things he was trying, but you didn’t do a damn thing. You defended him and told my mom she was lying. You have a terrible sense of who may be guilty or innocent. You are so disconnected from things happening around you. Did you not think him beating you was enough reason to separate you and your kids from the situation?

      Cc: Angela Conway
      – “The problem with the world is that everyone does not have a brain, but everyone does have a tongue.”

      Son of Chanin and Clay,
      Blake Starbuck

      1. I’m sorry for the loss of your mom…but also sorry the child she carried for 9 mos & birth from her eggs is so messed up that he thinks its okay for his dad to murder her because she was sexually active outside marriage and tried relationship(s) that failed.
        Not sure which is sadder…but in either case, shame on you for causing more grief to your grandmother for not agreeing with your skewed ( a understatement) view and loves the person she brought into the world.

        1. Laura, you are simply uninformed and quick to judge on things you know nothing about.
          Like the State, you consider Chanin’s mother the only victim here.
          Chanin’s children are also victims and it would serve you well to respect that at least as much as you do for their grandmother.
          Facts are facts…which doesn’t mean the kids love their mother any less.
          Shame on you for being so shallow.

    7. Mr. Miller didn’t have the decency to respond to you. Thank you for sharing this. Good hearted folks can read through this sad sack of dung article, in fact I did and commented prior to even seeing your comment. Some small measure of justice is hopefully served. I’m very sorry for your loss, love in Christ…Lynne.
      – John 3:16

  50. Hello Mitchell,
    We read your write-up and want to know if we can provide a few corrections?
    Kathy

  51. Clay was found guilty WITH a reasonable doubt ! There is no doubt about Clay being innocent and had a very unfair trial. I have know Clay, his sister and parents since they lived in Coquille when hi father was in law enforcement. Clay has always been easy going and in no way is he guilty of abuse and never murder. His sister and I are very close so feel I know this family. Clay divorced and married her twice so wasn’t divorce the route he would have gone. Clay love his children with his whole heart and worked in Alaska in order to pay his support or did anyone look at the court support records? Of course not, they had no one else without doing their job and investigating.

    He will never make up for the 5 years he has lost with his children but he definitely should be free to be the father he really is.

      1. 9-1-1 call December 1st wouldn’t this be helpful to the time of death? Where was Clay on December 1st ?

        1. Medical Examiner could not determine time of death to the 1st or the 2nd.

          The state confused jurors by telling them Chanin was in a struggle and the 911 call was her last call for help. If you were not told what to hear, you would not know what to expect. Several days after this part of the trial, the State told the jury that Chanin was beaten or severely tortured for hours and had 60 + bruises. Defense Attorney, Derek Reid, did not challenge these statements or the bruising, even as it was obviously from finger tips as in multiple person restraint during sexual escapades. There were NO offensive or defensive punches / strikes received by Chanin or initiated by Chanin, as nothing remotely close to such things were noted in the autopsy. So a 9:18 a.m. 911 call cannot be a cry for help, when she answered a phone call from Kenlein later in the morning and answered a call from her daughter after 3 p.m.. Oh, the State left that out of their call log they blew up for the jury.

          Additionally, Derek Reid and the State did not include that factually, Clay was already home and in bed as his son came in to get lunch money for his high school basketball game day. Clay’s son had late start his senior year as he left the house around 9:20 a.m. and Clay was at his own home.

          The State did not permit the Starbuck children to make any positive comments of their father or negative comments concerning their mother and were given strict instructions that they would be shut down on the witness stand if they tried.

          So, NO, A 9:18 a.m. 911 call does not support an accurate time of death determination no matter which way the State presented false evidence, it all cannot be true.

          John Wilson (John Kenlein) knew something was up as he made a store run to buy Drain Pro Gel at midnight and his wife did not know where he was all night since they didn’t share a bed. Judge Sypolt stated that clearly, Mr. Wilson’s / Kenlein’s alibi is not airtight.

          – 911 call deleted, NO
          – 911 dispatch followed protocol, NO
          – Nothing they could do, NO / FALSE
          – Longitude / Latitude unavailable, FALSE, they had it

          1. Hard to know without proper investigation to whom she was in communications with leading up to.
            Kenlein and Walker weren’t the only hounds knocking at the door. Doesn’t mean it was the ex-husband because they didn’t want to work for the answer. 

            How would we know!? What we do know is Chanin had a low tech, cheap phone and service.
            Probably safe to say Chanin did not use her phone in the shower. So the State said she was attacked, beaten and tortured as she exited the shower. However, Chanin was not beaten, was not tortured and how would you expect a phone that was not in the shower with her to be dialed as she exited?

            What if someone else dialed 911 and what you hear is her trying to get her phone back? 
            All jurors and everyone else that heard that recording before or during trial, was told what they were to hear before it played as the State tried to correlate the call with time of death. Then later, Chanin answered a call from Kenlein and Chanin’s phone also answered a call from her daughter. So, hard to say exactly what went on, so the State and detectives chose to lie about it.

            1. How did they convict clay when the semen samples and DNA samples did not match Clay’s. Also why did clay have spyware on his computer to spy on her.

              1. 1. She was NOT sexually assaulted, just posed: there was no semen to match!
                2. Touch DNA DID match him.
                3. The victim and her mother claimed that he was ‘stalking her’ (spyware) due to inability to accept the relationship was over and that she was seeing other men.

                He’s guilty.

                You appear to be unfamiliar with the facts of the case.

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